


I long for the day(I wish I can call you mine)

by RetroGrace_1219



Category: Stranger Things - Fandom
Genre: Angst fic, Depression, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Internal homophobia, Jonathan and Steve if you squint, M/M, Sad, Trigger Warnings, also with Nancy and Robin, angst with happy ending, byler is endgame, elmax is also endgame, so as Henclair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:15:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24859000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RetroGrace_1219/pseuds/RetroGrace_1219
Summary: Will thought that distance doesn't make the heart grow fonder, he learned that from his father. So why does moving away from Mike felt so wrong?***Lucas thought that within two months, nothing would change. He wouldn't suddenly find someone he called bestfriend, the most attractive person he had met. Now only if this mysterious guy would stop confusing him.***Max thought that it was endearing to have such a cute tattoo, but when all of a sudden, things went wrong, she found herself hoping that she'll come back to her.
Relationships: Dustin Henderson/Lucas Sinclair, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
Comments: 10
Kudos: 61





	1. These Bruises On My Fingertips

**Author's Note:**

> There are a lot of triggering events here so please proceed with caution. I wrote this with an okay amount of sleep so if I made any typo please don't hesitate to point it out thank you! 
> 
> This is also not to be confused with my current work, Don't Belong In This Club, this is just a one-shot imagine.

Faggot.

Will Byers stared at his father with such confusion that Lonnie wanted to slap the boy's face away from him. Will didn't know what a faggot is, and no other person should blame him for it. He's only four when his father had said to him for the first time. Joyce was standing weakly behind Will while Jonathan kept his head low.

There had always been that tone that Lonnie carried when he talks to Will. It was a tone that can make a kid flinch in fear from just hearing it. And from just hearing it, Will knew his father never complimented him.

"Are you okay?"

"Huh?"

Will asked, snapping his head up to look who had the gall to lean on his door while holding a mixtape.

Jonathan.

Will blinked back the memory, burning the pages into his mind, erasing the words as much as he could. It had been twelve years. He's already sixteen now. The bruises don't matter anymore, the cuts... They still burn. Even after a month they left Hawkins. Even though he was trying to move on, everything still burns.

But Will never really cared.

"I'm okay, Jonathan."

"You sure, you have that-"

"I'm fine. Just... Just really need to take a rest, now."

Will walked to the door, slowly closing it, making it a point that he didn't want to talk. Jonathan frowned as he realized Will's gesture, and followed, letting himself be out of Will's room. And Will's life, at least at that moment.

As Will listened to Jonathan's footfalls, he found himself walking back to the bed and staring at the same blank white wall again. He had been doing nothing but reminisce, he hadn't even hung up his paintings on the wall, to make it a little home-y, when a bad memory struck him.

_"What's a faggot?"_

_"It's nothing, sweetheart."_

_"But-"_

_Will saw tears in his mother's eyes. He was nine when he finally got a hold of how sensitive and "fragile" his mother is. Will felt his argument hold back in his tongue and he just nodded at his mother, hugging her. Joyce sighed at that and wiped her tears away, pulling her son closer. Letting the dinner get overcook for a while, before she pulled away and ushered him to fix the table._

Will had understood that his father wasn't just insulting him, he was taunting. He was trying to get Will to break. He was trying to outcast his own son. And if his _own father_ had the face to do that...

What more his soulmate?

Will looked down at his legs. He was only wearing dark blue gym shorts- he only wears it in the house, he didn't have enough jeans to wear outside the house, what more wearing it inside the house. And he specifically wears it when he's sure none of his friends are invited over, nor inviting him over to something. But now, he didn't have to worry about Mike suddenly crashing into his room, cause he's are now thousand of miles away from the party, from Mike. Will felt his heart sink as he thought of his friends.

What would they think of him?

Would they think he's insane? That he does this? That everytime he hears the word faggot, he cuts? That in the span of his sixteen years living, he had given his legs nothing but more than ten slashes each day? And the number doubled over by the time Snow Ball rolled in?

Will's head gave a sudden reply. As if rehearsed over and over. Will had known the answer already, he had thought of it more than he could count at night. His friends would hate him. They would be disgusted. They would just be like his father. He could already see it.

Max would definitely be the first one to talk. She always knew what to say, and she says it rough. Max would tell him that he's weird, dirty, _a_ _faggot._ El would probably be the next, she always follow Max, although Will never understood why. If he hadn't known that El was stuck in the Hawkins Lab for her life, he would've thought they were on the same boat. But she is. And they're not on the same boat. In fact, El's dating Will's bestfriend, Mike.

And Mike? Mike would definitely be the last to talk. After Dustin who is always supported by Lucas's statements. But Mike's would hurt the most. And Will had endless sleepless imaginations of how bad it could go.

_"You're..._ **_Gay_ ** _?"_

Will probably wouldn't be able to say anything. He probably wouldn't be able to utter out a single word. He would just be staring at Mike with pleading look that he won't throw their friendship away. That he would still be friends with him. It doesn't matter if the world leaves him, as long as Mike doesn't.

Cause Mike is his world.

And Will felt so goddamn stupid for he knows that even the blind can tell that Mike and El are probably the ones who are soulmates. Why would they date, if they aren't? And to make matters worse, Will felt so bad for his soulmate... If he does have a soulmate. He felt bad that his soulmate had to feel the pain he is in. That his soulmate had the same bruises he has, the same cuts, the same marks of failure.

But Will would never think of his soulmate that way. If he does have. He would think that they're the strongest ones there is, for putting uo with his bullshit. For putting up with the sudden cuts Will had created because he relapsed. Will had been looking at that cut on his shoulder blade, the one wound that his soulmate did have and was marked on him. It didn't hurt as much as the number of cuts Will had given his soulmate, and Will kept on staring at it.

He kept on looking at it when he takes a break in school, when his father makes snide remarks after he had thrown him into the wall and Jonathan was trying to console him while his mother and father would be arguing.

Will would stare at his soulmate's wound and try to not hurt himself.

But Will's only human.

And he would always break down.

He would wake up, blood on his sheets that he would have to wash secretly, and his mind numb from feeling so worthless for his whole life.

Much like now.

It had been more than a year since Will had received a wound from his soulmate. And he was starting to think that his soulmate might be... _Gone_. Maybe people made fun of him, maybe his soulmate wasn't able to take it. Maybe his soulmate just hated the fact that they're soulmate was so broken and kept on hurting them?

Will felt tears on his eyes as he thought of his soulmate.

What if they gave up on him?

Will's mind shut down. He didn't realize he was hugging himself as he cried, he was clawing his arms, his blunt nails digging the skin, leaving small nicks of fresh cuts, small trail of blood following it. But Will can't barely care. His soulmate must've grown sick of him, they must've given up. They must've been disguted to even be linked to Will. They-

Will let out a guttaral sob.

Why won't these fucking thoughts leave him alone?

***

Mike Wheeler woke with a start. He felt it, again. It wasn't the same hissing pain on his legs. It wasn't a moment of cut after a cut. It wasn't a graze of metal that he felt. It was death grip. A death grip on his arms that he can't get off. Mike felt his train of thought began as realization hit him hard.

His soulmate.

His soulmate was probably doing something, again. They must've been hurting themselves again.

Mike ran to the bathroom and looked at his arms, it was where the pain was coming from. He saw small cuts on it, forming more as seconds pass. A brief image of a silhouette of his soulmate, crouched down, hugging themself as they cried.

Mike stared at his arm, as he watched his blood trail down. Whatever was making his soulmate depressed all this time, Mike made a promise to kill it. To get his soulmate away from it, far, far away from it. Mike didn't know when he'll meet them, but he can't wait.

He had asked Eleven for help. While Eleven also asked for help by pointing into a small tattoo of a skateboard by her neck. Mike kept on saying that it might mean Max, but El insisted that Max liked Lucas.

If anything, Mike would've ran to Will for help, but Will was out of it. He wasn't talking to them, he was avoiding them and Mike felt the need to just give him the space he needs this time.

Especially after what he had done.

The Castle Byers was still broken to pieces, for more than three months. Will decided to not piece it back together. Mike didn't know why, bit he can't bring himself to ask. He can't even bring himself to hug Will when he heard him say goodbye to the Castle Byers, no matter how right it felt to feel Will around him.

Mike didn't hug Will Byers until Will had to say goodbye to them.

It was a sad day in Hawkins when they said goodbye. And Mike can only utter out a few words to Will.

_"Do you remember the first day that we met? It was the first day of kindergarten. I knew nobody. I had no friends."_

If Mike could turn time and time again, he would always come back to the moment he met Will Byers. It was an endless memory that he holds on to, no matter what.

_"I just felt, so alone. And so scared, but- I saw you on the swings and you were alone too. You were just swinging by yourself."_

Mike could never explain how _right_ it felt. How right it felt to be standing by the swings as he looked down at Will who looked back at him with scared doe eyes. Mike could never forget how he pointed out they both have the same bruise on their arms.

_"And I just walked up to you and asked, ‘do you want to be my friend?’ and… you said yes."_

Mike wouldn't have know what he would have done if Will refused. His world would have crashed. His whole fucking world would be broken down to pieces, like the Castle Byers, and that's just imagining Will not being his friend. Not being his bestfriend. Not being a part of his life.

_"It was the best thing I've ever done."_

There's nothing in this world that would make Mike rethink his statement. Will. It's always Will. He had remembered El saying it loudly. He remembered El prodding it over and over as she kept on talking at how Will was Mike's everything, at how Will was Mike's world.

_"We're both fooling ourselves, Mike."_

_El started as she turned around. The warm summer made Mike a little nore nervous than he should._

_"What do you mean?"_

_El just hummed as she took his hand._

_"I... I don't think we're... Meant to be."_

_Mike's eyes narrowed at her. He knows that they could be not meant to be. But what if-_

_"I'm feeling something else for someone."_

_El said pointedly, Mike didn't felt sad. But he felt guilty. The mere knowledge of leaning to El just because Will was gone, and his soulmate was depressed, Mike needed to lean to someone._

_"Who?"_

_El walked to him, turning around and lifting her hair up, showing a small tattoo by her left ear._

_"A skateboard."_

_Mike said, thinking that El probably did not know it._

_"Mhm. A_ _skateboard_ _."_

_El enunciated as she turned back to him. Mike just gave her a blank look._

_"I think... I think it's Max."_

_"Huh?"_

_"Max. I think she's my... Soulmate."_

_Before Mike could laugh and say that's impossible for guys should be with girls, not girls and girls nor guys and guys._

_"El-"_

_"I know what you said. But have you ever look at you and Will?"_

_Mike felt his heart stop as he heard Will's name._

_"You like him. You love him, Mike."_

But Mike couldn't see it.

Mike couldn't take in the fact that if Will is his soulmate... How come he never told him? How come Mike would wake up in the middle of the night, his legs bleeding and sometimes he felt so numb to walk. But there are times he can't help but feel a spark of hope that maybe, _just_ _maybe_ , it's Will. Maybe the fact that Will would always walk slower is because he had cuts in his legs. That sometimes his wounds would not be deep because Will remembers him. Will holds on to him.

But why would Will even hurt himself?

Even think of it?

Mike couldn't think of any reason why.

Isn't it enough that they are there for him? That he is always there for him? Even if they are thousands of miles away from each other, Mike would always be there for Will.

But it didn't change the fact that Will didn't tell him he was hurting.

He looked back up to the mirror, seeing how much worse he had been since Will had left. It wasn't just because of the nightmares from the Mind Flayer, but this time, Mike couldn't just knock on Will's window and ask if he could stay the night. Will would hold a hand out for him to wait and go to the bathroom, before walking back with a new set of pyjamas.

Mike retreated at the memory. He had shrugged it off as Will probably being concious of himself.

But what if he wasn't?

What if he was hiding his scars from Mike?

But why would Will do that?

***

  
Will woke up with a numbing feeling on his neck. Blinking his eyes open, he had realized he fell asleep on the bed, he was still curled up into hugging position and felt a little burn on his arms. Upon closer inspection, he realized that he had made small cuts on his arms.

Well, shit.

If cutting his legs wasn't enough, he even had to make a fucking cut on his arms. What the hell would his soulmate say? Will felt a little happy at the thought of his soulmate, but remembering that his soulmate giving up... Will felt a little disappointed into giving into the hope.

Getting up, Will looked at his drawings that was still on the floor messily, not one picture hung up. One was still wet from the thick paint Will had used. Bending down and holding the canvas up to the light, he watched how much he had improved in drawing. It was his usual muse.

Mike.

Mike had always been his muse. Will never got tired of drawing him, despite knowing that no matter how good he draws Mike, nothing would compare to how whimsical Mike's features are. Dark, sharp face shape matched with the black soft curls, Will knew Mike is truly a work of art.

Shaking the thoughts away, El may have told him that she and Mike were no longer dating, before he left Hawkins, Will knew there was no hope for him. If Mike did try to date her, it meant one thing, Mike's straight.

And he's not.

No matter what, they wouldn't meet.

Will placed the painting back down, not realizing the edge of his hand grazed the canvas, leaving a smudge of blue color.

Will sighed, looking over to the other paintings, seeing non-incriminating ones. The party, El and Max, Lucas and Dustin, the whole D&D campaign moment that Jonathan had taken a photo of and Will drew it. He had a lot of pictures to put up.

***

Mike woke up numbly, looking around at the plain white walls before realizing he fell asleep on the bathroom. One thong he was privileged enough to have is having his own bathroom and now one of the must do is sleep in it.

He laughed at his own humor before standing up and feeling his arms still burn from the cuts. If Will was here, he would have noticed it immediately, prodding Mike to tell him where he had gotten it. El would assume one of the bullies hurt him and immediately lash out on Troy. But both of them aren't here.

El was taken care of with Max while Joyce had moved out with Will and Jonathan. Now, all was left in Hawkins was the empty feeling thst Mike gets Everytime he looks at his right and expecting Will to be there.

Cause Will's always there.

Mike looked at mirror as he erased the sleep in his eyes. His face was still pale, like a zombie, eyes sunken, like a zombie. His hair was all over the place, like a zombie. He was like a zombie, except for a blue streak on his left cheek.

Eyes suddenly awake, Mike looked around, his eyes settling in his hand, a blue color. He didn't get out of the bathroom, he fell asleep on the floor. There's no way that his blue ballpen suddenly rolled into the bathroom and made a streak of ink, right.

Does that mean...

Mike ran out of the bathroom, hurriedly grabbing a ballpen and shakily wrote,

_Are you okay?_

***

Will was enjoying his breakfast. His mom was excitedly telling them a new job she got and Jonathan was adding his own story of getting a photography gig next week. It had been a while since he felt this peaceful. He wasn't thinking much of his soulmate, nor was he thinking of Mike. His mom and Jonathan had been a great distraction.

That is, until he felt a tingling sensation on his arms.

Looking down, he expected to see a new wound that he didn't know existed. But no, it was a writing. A messy scrawl of a handwriting, that if Will didn't have enough practice of reading Mike's handwriting, he would definitely have trouble reading it. But that was the scary part.

It was so familiar with Mike's writing. The same words Mike would pass to him when they were in classes after the Snow Ball, checking up on him til summer and the whole trouble with the demogorgons and the gate, it wss Mike's handwriting. But it can't be _him,_ right?

There are tons of handwriting like Mike's, and this is his soulmate, we're talking about, it could be anyone. Maybe a guy named... Miles or... Richard. Any guy. It couldn't just be _Mike_.

But Will felt a spark of hope. His soulmate... Whoever the handwriting belongs to, it meant Will have a soulmate. He had someone meant for him. And they had done nothing but put up with his shit all these years. They had done nothing but walk with Will's battles, without them having a context of what is happening to Will.

They still stayed.

Running to his mom's worktable, Will immediately took a hold of a pen, writing below the question.

_I'm more than okay._

It wasn't even a second when he felt his hand tingling again and a sentence was forming, again.

_Really? Are you sure?_

Will wanted to throw his back, laughing. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought of this guy as Mike.

_Yeah. Just surprised that we can do this._

He replied back, getting a feeling that his soulmate would've probably asked why he cuts. He should've known better when his hand tingled again, and a sarcastic message appeared.

_Much easier than the whole cutting thing, right?_

Okay, that one hurt. But Will can't blame his soulmate for being angry. For all he had put them through.

_I'm sorry._

Will didn't know what else to write. He didn't know what else could show his soulmate that he's really sorry. After all, he had only known they could write to each other's hands as a message.

_No, it's alright. I'm sorry. I just, I mean, I_

Will didn't hesitate laughing now, he could almost imagine his soulmate stammering before him, and he didn't know why Mike's face is the first thing he imagined.

_I, I get it. I just, why didn't you ask for help?_

Will thought for a moment before replying, his breakfast long forgottem as he wrote to his soulmate.

_I thought no one would care. Who would give a damn about some faggot in Hawkins, right?_

A reply was instantaneous.

_Hawkins?_

Will just replied with _yeah._ And another question popped up after that.

_What's your name?_

Will thought of making himself a girl. Maybe his soulmate is girl, so he should say his guy name. Bit what if his dad is right? And his soulmate, god knows how much Will wanted it, is a boy?

_Uhm... Are you a girl or a boy?_

He asked first, hesitant to say his name.

_If I answer that, will you tell me your name?_

Will answered with another affirmative.

_I'm a boy._

Well, shit. What now? They're gonna meet up anyways, right? So his soulmate would know they're both guys.

_Me too. And my name is Will. William Byers._

Will waited for a reply from his soulmate. But to his luck, no reply was given to him.

Frowning after five minutes of waiting, Will let go of the pen and washed the ink away. He could still see his soulmate's answers and questions on his arm. He can erase his, but he can't erase his soulmate's?

Will sighed at the idea that his soulmate must've been disappointed. He's a guy. He should've been stronger. But no, all he did is slash his legs and claw his arms just because he lost his bestfriend.

***

Jonathan had taken Will to his photography gig by the town center in Chicago. Will wasn't much interested in the wedding photography, but he gotta admit, the event organizer knows his stuff. A beach wedding. Will was standing by the sunset as he looked over to the practice shots by the beach.

He was standing on some large rock, on a mointain edge, much like the quarry, as he painted the sunset on the canvas. Adding violet and cherry red, Will smiled as he got the desirable depth of darkness he wants.

It wasn't until he was drawing the dark ocean when he felt his arm tingle again. Looking down, he saw the same messy scrawl on his arm.

_Turn around._

Will wheeled around, not knowing exactly what to see. Even though he didn't know what exactly to see, never did he guess it would be Mike Wheeler panting at the sight of him.

"Mike? What are you doing-"

"I got lost. Took a while before I found your house, then your mom told me you guys are by the beach."

Will still didn't understand what Mike was trying to say.

"Okay. But it still doesn't explain why you're here."

Mike just walked to him, almost hugging him as he held Will's arm.

"Didn't your soulmate just asked you to turn around?"

And Will felt his brain shut for a minute. His... Soulmate? How did Mike knew that? Mike couldn't have known that... Unless...

"You... You're my... No, you liked El. You're parents are homophobic, you aren't gay, you were dating El, right?"

Mike pulled Will closer. Thanking any god that he had held Will's arm already.

"I tried to. I was so confused. I thought I liked girls but no matter what I do, all I wanted was it to be you. And El... El realized the same thing. She wanted me to be Max. I thought they were soulmates as well."

Will laughed as well, so he wasn't the only one who noticed, but thst still doesn't explain why is he here.

"You could've just written you're Mike. You gavee nothing but worries this whole week when you weren't talking to me."

Mike just pulled him closer, this time hugging him and placing his head on Will's shoulder.

"I wanted to tell you that I'm here. I should've known it sooner. I was just so afraid that we'll fall apart and I'll lose you. I can't risk the friendship I have with you jsit because I thought you are my soulmate."

Mike sniffled as he kept on talking. All the secrets he could've just written to Will over the past week was flowing out, like the waves under them, by the setting sun, the blue hue covered with dark indigo lines of the night.

"I wanted you. So much. All this time. I'm sorry if I had been ignoring you last summer, if I don't want to play D&D, it's just that, it's just that, when I saw the look in your face, I... I just got this feeling-"

_It was a normal start of summer. Will was already sitting down at the Wheeler Basement while Mike and Dustin argued on the movie to watch._

_"Back to the Future is so much better than that stupid Breakfast Club."_

_"Take that back you curly haired bastard!"_

_"What you gonna do, grow your teeth out?"_

_"Shut up, you guys. Let's just watch Mad Max."_

_Lucas argued back as Will took a look at the mismatched boars games on Ted's work table._

_"Hey guys, wanna play D &D?"_

_Lucas and Dustin both shrugged and smiled,_

_"Yeah, let's have one hour campaign."_

_Lucas was already making his way to the table, Dustin was taking out the dices and the papers to write the spells. All of them noticed Mike wasn't moving._

_"Mike, you in?"_

_But Mike wasn't hearing them._

"The way you smiled, the wau you said to play that stupid game, it all went back to me. And I was so afraid that what if you rolled another seven? What if the demogorgon get you again? What if..."

Mike pulled away, and Will saw his best friend's tear stained face with the same dark bags under his eyes.

"What if I lost you, again. And this time, this time I won't be able to get you back?"

Will was still staring into the air as Mike hugged him again, and cried into his shoulder, muttering I'm sorry all over again.

"Mike..."

Will begun, not knowing where to start. He heard Mike took a struggling breath, and without hesitation, he hugged him back tightly, standing on his tip toes to bury his head on Mi- his soulmate's, his soulmate's shoulder. Will felt the thoughts finally go silent, they finally went silent, calm. He felt so light.

Will felt so light against the dark world of the vast night, stars shining bright above them, the sound of waves are calmer thsn before, the wind howled with the trees, two people found each other.

And completed one another.

********


	2. The Sunflower Poems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yehey! I finally did it! It took me a while to get started on the Henclair part, because I have no idea how to actually start it. Anyways, as soon as I started, I completely got carried away so this is a long-ass one shot, that is somehow connected to the first chapter and stuff. I just really enjoyed writing it. And yeah, I'll get started on the Elmax part now...

_2 months 4 days 11 hours 34 minutes and 4 seconds, "I hate you because you still love_ _her_ _!"_

It was eight simple words. Eight words that will change his life forever. And it was slowly ticking down to zero. By the time his soulmate says those eight words, Lucas didn't know what he would say back, he didn't even know why his soulmark holds such hurtful words. Does that mean he's in a fight with his soulmate? Maybe Max and him arguing over Phoebe Cates? Or how hot Carrie Fisher looked in gold bikini? It didn't seemed plausible in Lucas's head.

Firstly, Max isn't the type of person to get jealous over little things, and _impossible_ things such as that. Max also isn't the type of girl to care what Lucas thinks of someone in the movies, as long as it isn't someone hanging out with him and _"making a move"_ on him. Secondly, even though the words seemed to be in Max's verbatim, she isn't the type to admit something. And that exclamation mark right there made a point across to Lucas that it wasn't a calm saying, it was **angry**. As if he and his soulmate were fighting.

It would've been easier to actually ask Max about it, but what makes Lucas's soulmark special... Was the fact that it _only_ appears when he's alone. He can't trick his head into thinking he's alone, and the soulmark wouldn't appear no matter what. Until now, he was lying on the floor, alone in his bedroom, while his sister was jamming on some music from the other room.

Lucas had been like this for a while now, it had been three days since Mike left, hurrying to go somewhere that Lucas didn't managed to get a hold of. All he knows was that Mike _finally_ found his soulmate and can't wait to see them. What made Lucas confused was the fact that Mike _would convince_ his soulmate to _stay with him._ And Lucas thought it was crazy, it was too crazy for Mike's soulmate to agree to go to Hawkins if they never set foot in this place.

Unless they are _from_ Hawkins.

Lucas's eyes snapped open as he shot up. And the only person Mike knows that left Hawkins is _Will._ Eleven stayed with Max after the whole "Billy and Jim Died" incident or mostly known as the Mind Flayer Crusade. But no matter what name it was known, the whole shit was the same, Max and El both lost very special people in their lives.

And Lucas understands that. He understands lots of things. He understands why he and Max never went back together, not only because Max had told him that her soulmark is different-- she didn't specify what was hers-- but Lucas knew they were different. And with that, he had to let her go. He understands that the Byers had too much on their plate and had to leave Hawkins, start a new life in Chicago, maybe Will get to do his own campaigns or start his own art career.

And Lucas, he understands why he is now bored of his life, as he watched his soulmark glow like a clock, ticking down til zero, where his soulmate would finally say those words.

_"I hate you because you still love her."_

What kind of soulmate does Lucas have? Does she have red hair like Max? Pale legs that she would show off on shorts? Maybe beautiful freckles that Lucas liked to count when they were staring at each other? Is she the jealous type? Is that why she was so angry about Max?

Sometimes, Lucas wished that he could just have an easy soul connection that is like his mom and dad. Names. His parents' names glow when said, and Lucas did not want to think how many times it glowed when they were on their honeymoon, nor when they were fighting.

Or Erica's, she had not been seeing any other color than red, and because of that she always hangs out in Scoops Ahoy, trying new flavors and asking the colors so she'll have a hint of what the _taste_ of color is. He can hear her at dinner talking why she can't have a clock like Lucas's so she'll know when she can finally see her soulmate.

Lucas wanted the opposite, he didn't want any ticking time bomb on his arm. He wanted his soulmate to appear out of the blue, so it can literally be _once in a blue moon,_ but hey, you gotta work with what you get. And he's gotta work with the fact that Mike is gone to find his soulmate, and he's got nothing to do right now. Dustin is too busy with his inventions and Lucas didn't want to pry into his friend's life.

It wasn't that he was avoiding Dustin, really, it wasn't. It was just that Lucas found it difficult to be with Dustin. Especially since he had broken up with Max and Dustin is still with Suzie, or so what Lucas believes, he hadn't been hanging out with Dustin since he had seen Suzie.

Yes, Lucas Sinclair finally met the mysterious Suzie. And she's real. In fact, Lucas didn't think she was hot. At all. Her range in beauty is what most people would call _cute._ She had her hair in low pigtails, rosy lips and bright brown eyes. She was shorter than Dustin, and Lucas stood a foot higher than her. He had met her after Dustin called for her help and singing that stupid never-ending shit while they were getting chased by the Mind Flayer.

Now, after he had gotten over the fear of the monster, he can't help but cringe at what the heck just happened. Imagine getting chased by a monster, and there's this love song playing in the background? Totally not good in real life, but in _movies_ , eh, Lucas would've watched it. Lucas shook his head, he's clearly getting off topic.

He had met Suzie. Suzie met him. And there was something weird about _Dusty-bun._ Lucas had never seen Dustin suddenly get awkward. It wasn't the awkwardness he expressed back in the Snow Ball, nor was it when he was trying to take Steve's advice into _getting the girl._ It was in a state of panic. Lucas almost thought that Dustin would jump in between them and push him away. Lucas thought Dustin is just probably overprotective of Suzie. **But** Suzie seemed sassy. She can clearly take care of herself.

So who was Dustin panicking from?

Lucas didn't know. His arm glowed once more, signalling an hour had passed. Turning to the clock by his drawer, with the red blinking lights.

_8:56 PM._

Lucas stood up and grabbed his hoodie. Maybe a little walk around the Mirkwood can help him feel sleepy.

***

_2 months 4 days 11 hours 33 minutes and 58 seconds, "You know what, fuck you. This is bullshit, what the hell did I do?"_

Dustin really can't think of a worse soulmark. Why can't it be sweet? Like Max's mark. A waffle. See? It was innocent. A fucking waffle tattoo, right by her neck that she let Dustin see when he asked her why she broke up with Lucas. Dustin would've thought the waffle meant El(with the eggos and all), but that can't be plausible right? A girl can't be with girl, nor a guy can't be with guy, it doesn't matter what Freddie-fucking-Mercury says, Hawkins is a homophobic town and nothing's gonna change that.

So technically, his soulmate is a fucking bitch. **The** fucking bitch. Dustin had let the wrench fall to the floor. He'll pick it right up later, but now he gotta focus on these damned circuits.

He had been doing this for a while now, it's been three days since Mike left and the Party is more divided than ever... Well, El and Max aren't, but he and Lucas are. Dustin doesn't know what happened with Will and Mike, but he can't give a damn right now. It had been enough that Lucas is consuming his head, and Dustin can't fix the Cerebro properly or get started in a new invention he wanted to do.

All because of Lucas.

Yep, it was Lucas's fault. And partly Mike's, because Dustin's got no one to rant to. Dustin had started paying attention to what he was feeling after he _actually_ met Robin Buckley. She was a _lesbian._ It meant she likes girls, the way boys like girls. And she has a crush Tammy, like... Like how Mike had a crush on El. Like how Dustin should've crushed on Max.

She's a lesbian.

Dustin found the word familiar. Yet foreign. He had known difficult to understand words, but nothing goes far as how confused he was with _gay._

And at that moment, everything changed around Dustin.

Robin didn't sound weird. She's healthy, she beat up the Russians, she's awesome and badass. And she's a _lesbian._ Dustin didn't know who really gave him the idea that gays are like... Scavengers. As if they hadn't met normal people, maybe they're aliens, Dustin didn't know. But Robin... Robin showed him that being gay was okay. And that opened loads of doors for Dustin.

It made him realize the feelings he get whenever a certain someone was arguing with him. Feelings of pushing them down on the couch back at the Wheeler's basement, getting above them, holding them down and feeling just so fucking right having him beneath him. And yes, it is a him.

"Shit."

Dustin cursed to no one in particular as he grounded himself on the open wire.

  
This is what he gets for thinking about Lucas Sinclair in not-so innocent manner.

Reluctantly leaving his " _invention_ ", Dustin walked out of his room, not before placing back the _other stuff_ just in case Steve _happens_ to walk right into his room cause apparently, the old man had been doing it quite a lot, he wouldn't accidentally cause anything to burst into fire. After he was done dusting off the mess in his bed, he put on his cap, gently opened his window and jumped down, walking out of his house for a awaited walk.

***

_1 month 15 days 6 hours 14 minutes and 13 seconds,-_

The words disappeared before Dustin can even finish reading his soulmark. Then his mother appeared from the garden, shouting at him to open the door.

Steve was the one who had been relentlessly knocking. Sweaty, hair falling on his face and he almost tripped into the living room but he still has that stupid grin on his face.

"The Byers are back, Dustin!!!"

Dustin winced at the loudness of Steve Harrington. Steve could've been more discreet, especially since he was pretty sure that Steve is catching feelings for a certain Byers and Dustin (and the Hawkins) isn't still ready for the gayness. Sometimes, Dustin thinks that it was because Robin was too busy awkwardly flirting with Nancy since the whole month Mike was gone and Nancy has no one to have an intelligent banter with, despite Mike clearly being a sore Loser in their fights. And since Robin was preoccupied, Steve had kept himself busy with Jonathan. And if Jonathan is coming home, with the Byers, does that mean-

"Like, right now?"

And as soon as he asked that, Dustin had realized, he was standing in front of his door, and Steve was already chitchatting his mother. And before Dustin can comprehend what just happened, Steve was already walking out of the kitchen, holding a piece of cookie and grabbing his hand, and walking out of the Henderson's house.

Dustin didn't really get a say due to Steve's excitement.

And now, here he was, sadly looking at his arm, where no soulmark was embedded as Steve drove his beat up car to the Wheeler's house where the Byers are currently staying at.

Dustin hadn't said a word to the Party yet. They hadn't hung out at all. And in that span of month, Dustin realized two things.

One, he misses someone dearly, and he didn't even know the guy's real name. It was a small note that was attached to the cold acacia tree by Mirkwood, where the Castle Byers used to stand. And Dustin found the need to walk there for the first time after the incident, and there, he found the note.

_He looks so pretty when he smiles,_   
_I wish I can tell him he's mine_   
_Maybe if I was given the time,_   
_I wouldn't really have to hide_

Dustin was thankful that he had always brought a pen with him. Thanks to all those strangers making him sign stupid petitions and Dustin likes to be ready for everything.

Even a cute little note in the middle of the forest.

He thought of writing on the paper, if he wrote back, since he technically was the first one who found it, maybe someone will write back? Or is he getting that shitty idea much like being an American hero with Steve again? What if Mike wrote this? To who? To _Will_? Dustin thought it was plausible, since it was the tree near the Castle Byers, but it's also downright impossible since the Byers weren't even home back then.

Unless Mike had powers all of a sudden and foresaw the Byers coming home and decided to put up a cute little note two months prior their return.

So Dustin was just clicking his pen there, thinking of whether to write back or not. Surely whoever wrote this might come back. After all, the poem had to mean something. Especially with how raw the emotions are. Dustin sighed back then, before clicking his pen and writing back.

And for the second one, it was Will who was the glue of the group. All this time, Dustin thought it was El, or Mike. But no, it was Will. When Will left, the Party started to break down. Mike was in the edge of depression and loneliness, even Nancy can't bring the life to him no matter how she tries to piss Mike off, which was supposed to be fairly easy. Max was a bit more cranky, compared to how she was back then with Will. It was partly because Mike is a bit, scratch that, Mike was _extremely_ overprotective of Will and Max doesn't mince her words, and the Party is afraid that Max might hurt Will. And because of that, Max tries to be a little considerate. At least back when Will was around.

Lucas didn't fair any better. When Will was gone, Lucas was more moody, he doesn't want to do _anything._ He doesn't get out of he house, he doesn't read books as he does back then, he wasn't the Lucas that Dustin knew. And Dustin? Dustin knew what changed in him.

It was reason why Suzie broke it off with him.

_"I... I can't do this, Dustin. I'm so so, sorry."_

_"What do you mean? Eating ice cream? I mean, I know that you sing and that can be bad fo-"_

_"No, not, not that... It's just that... I don't feel like this_ _ theory _ _of soulmates... I don't think we can... Like, change it."_

_Dustin held a confused stare at her._

_"What do you mean, we can't?"_

_Suzie just turned to him, with a guilty look in her eyes._

_"I met my soulmate a day ago. He accidentally held my hand when he was grabbing for a book, and there... A wave of gold appeared, Dustin... And it felt magical, like... Like it was just meant to be, I don't think I'll get tired of feeling it... I'm... I'm so sorry."_

_Dustin can't bring himself to be mad. He was starting to lose hope in their theory of breaking the soulmate connection, ever since he had been receiving letters._

_"It's okay... I just.. I'm not mad, Suz. I'm just... I understand."_

And that was the end of it. No crying, no begging to stay, no anger. Suzie just hugged him and told him that it will be okay, that his soulmate would make him feel magical. That science can not even explain how it felt to her but Dustin already got it. He got it from the mysterious stranger who sends the letters.

Dustin finally believed in soulmates.

But he needs Will's advice for it.

***

"Is that everything?"

"Yeah."

"How did you make your mom agree to this?"

Lucas asked as he watched Mike and and Jonathan talked quietly before them, carrying loads more than what Will was carrying. Will smiled widely, his smile reaching up to his eyes while he talked.

"It's a secret."

Lucas gave his friend a stink-eye but closed the back of the car anyways, while Will stared at Byers Residence witha complacent look.

Lucas was surprised when Mike called him last night, whispering quietly that they were on a bus stopover and the Byers are returning home. He called the others, with Steve asking him if he could be the one to tell Dustin, he wanted to have someone to face the music with or whatever that meant.

"How's your penpal going, by the way?"

Will asked, Lucas ignored the ink by Will's arms, after all Will always paints and it was rare seeing his hands clean from the color. Lucas turned away from Will, remembering the person he had been writing to.

"I told you, they hadn't told me shit. All I know is that they got a weird sense of humor, also crazy obsessed with Star Wars and their favorite movie is genre is horror. They got everything, man."

Will noticed the gender neutral pronouns, but didn't ask. He felt his arm tingle and looked down.

_You wanna go to the Scoops Ahoy?_

Will turned to Lucas again, seeing Lucas look down at his arm.

"Hey... Uh... Is there anything wrong?"

Lucas frowned for a bit, before tilting his head up and squinting his eyes.

"Can you like move--"

Lucas made a shooing motion and Will found himself following Lucas, moving away from him.

Fifteen, Will counted, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nin-

"Okay, you can stop!"

Lucas watched in awe. The numbers and the words began to appear into his arm. The clock was still ticking down, 1 month left. He felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity. In around a month, he'll meet his soulmate. He'll fucking hear them talk.

Will saw the glowing light by Lucas's arm and made a noise of understanding to himself. He got out his own pen, be had bringing a lot since Mike loves to talk to him with the soulmark.

_Yeah, as long as Lucas's done with hauling everything out._

Will smiled when Mike's reply appeared almost immediately.

_Okay, be careful._

The trip from the Byers house to the Starcourt Mall wasn't as how Lucas expected at all. First of all, Will was very happy. It wasn't bad, it was actually great. But there was something in it. As if Will was... _Blooming?_ Lucas didn't know if it was the right word. Will was clearly happier, and he kept on ranting about how Mike suddenly appeared out of nowhere and they managed to sort things out.

As Will passed by the Mirkwood, he stopped and turned to Lucas.

"Can we check it out? I just... Wanna see it.."

Lucas reluctantly agreed, remembering the words he received from his penpal, as how Will called it.

_Lucas didn't know what prompted him to take a walk again the next day. His parents are out, Erica is on some sleepover and Lucas was busy with homework, but he doesn't want to get it done. He doesn't want to watch TV, the music is bad and the walk around the forest seemed nice._

_So Lucas chose to walk. Following the same path he went, walking and walking, til he found himself by the same acacia tree where he thought of writing his own feelings._

_Only to see an even messier handwriting than his. One thing Lucas knew about himself was the fact that he's got a very, very neat handwriting. He's been taught over and over again back at home to have a very beautiful handwriting and seeing someone write behind it, with a writing as bad as that, Lucas felt insulted. Although the message was nice._

_Time stopped me from telling how I feel,_   
_I felt like a coward when he was near_   
_Everytime we're together, it doesn't feel real_   
_Cause when he looks at me, I held everything._

_Lucas would've thought it was a girl, but he had taken into a consideration that he, himself was_ _also_ _a boy writing about another boy. So they can also be a boy, writing about another boy. After that night, Lucas had brought more papers to write on and began asking them questions. He gave a fake name to the guy, who may have given him a fake name as well, but hey, at least they had the effort to walk around each night to talk, through the paper._

_Lucas asked simple things. "Gaten" likes to watch movies and tinker with machines. Lucas thought of the name "Caleb", after his history teacher's name who he remembered when Gaten asked his name. Gaten also is a huge DnD nerd and Lucas thought that if Gaten and Dustin met, they would be unstoppable. On the third question, Gaten is very smart, he knows so much about math and science that Lucas felt a little small with him, but one thing that Lucas found out about Gaten was that he has a lot of insecurities._

_Turns out, Gaten finds himself unattractive, and Lucas thought that those who finds him unattractive are blind people, cause clearly they can't see great even when it's standing in front of them._

Will kept his twenty-one step distance from Lucas, looking around the empty place. Every memory of him starts to unravel, the first time he heard the should I stay or should I go song, the times he cried because Lonnie and his mom kept arguing, yeah, that's right, _Lonnie_. Not dad, not father, Lonnie. Will finally realized that his poor excuse of a father isn't gonna change the fact that he is gay, his soulmate is a guy for hell's sake, and he's happy. It doesn't matter what others think, Mike said, only what _they_ feel.

And they never felt happier together.

And it doesn't matter if they go crazy together. As long as they do it, together.

Lucas noticed the smile on Will's face as he looked at the acacia tree, not seeing the notes plastered over it.

"Crazy together."

Will whispered, running a hand across the tree.

"So you guys have been talking here?"

Will said, flipping through the papers. Lucas may have said that he had a penpal and they're talking near the Castle Byers ruins but he didn't say it was in _that_ tree. Will only smirked when he saw the words.

"He sounds... Familiar."

Lucas only smiled, pushing the thought that it _can be him._ And said that Star Wars is really just that great, and everyone likes it. Will just shook his head, and hid one paper inside his pocket, before turning to Lucas.

"Let's go, I wanna order a new mix."

***

Dustin tapped his foot impatiently. El and Max was standing beside him as they ordered a pair of ice cream. He knew that Steve knew what he was gonna order anyways, so Dustin just stood quietly. Mike was standing beside him, holding the DnD tabletop game, as he ordered a salted caramel with rainbow sprinkles and vanilla with oreo add ons for Will.

Dustin sighed, he still didn't know how to ask Will. He still didn't know how to put the fucking question into words.

"What's wrong?"

Dustin turned to El who looked at him with innocent curiosity. She was wearing Max's clothes, they both have roughly the same size and El seemed to be comfortable with Max's clothes more.

"Oh, uh, nothing."

"It doesn't look like it..."

El replied, while she looked back at Max to ask her what she wanted to order. Dustin saw El give him a knowing look, before turning to the door, where Will and Lucas were talking quietly.

As the door opened, Dustin felt a wind rush pass him and Mike hugged Will tightly. Will laughed before hugging him back while Lucas carried the same confused expression like Dustin's.

"Robin!"

Will yelled, while the woman happily shouted his name, pushing pass Steve harshly as she ran to hug Will as well. Mike let go of Will while Robin hugged him.

"So, I take it went good?"

Robin asked coolly, sending Mike a _look_ that didn't go unnoticed by the other people.

"It actually went great."

Will giggled, as Robin messed his hair up a bit.

"Well, you guys should celebrate that with a extras!"

Robin said, as Mike pulled Will closer to him, a move that they all noticed. Steve accidentally dropped his scooper, mouth hanging open as Robin spoke with a smirk.

"Don't worry, it's on the house."

And it was pretty much how they ended up in a food coma, on a round table as Will shared stories of how his life was in Chicago. While the others complained about wanting to try whatever Will did, Dustin wasn't really listening. He was too busy staring at Lucas.

He can't find anyone who fits the bill as Lucas did. Star Wars fan, had loads of legos in his room, loves to talk about politics, loves weird country music, and has a neat handwriting. But there was still a voice saying that _it doesn't matter even if it was Lucas._

Even if it was Lucas, it won't matter. Cause Lucas had his own soulmate, he has his own soulmate, they can't be together. And Dustin doesn't want to bet on that cause Lucas would never want him.

But he felt refreshed. It was as if everything was back to normal. It was like a ray of light suddenly flowing into Hawkins bringing back innocence. Dustin observed El and Max laughing at something Will said about people while Lucas shove Mike playfully when Mike teased him about something Will called Penpal.

"You told him, seriously?"

Will and Mike turned to each other with a look, while Lucas kept on his baffled expression.

"Sorry, Lucas. I can't keep secrets to my soulmate."

Will said, blushing as he looked down at the floor. Mike took his hand, smiling as he brought they're hands up, with the same writing on theirs.

"We're soulmates. We're planning to tell you guys over dinner... And... And yeah. I know you guys would be uhm, well, _uncomfortable..._ I just want to say that... That we're still the same, we're just..."

To their surprise, El was the first one to get up, and hugged the two of them tightly.

"FINALLY!"

Max smiled as she watched El hug them and smiled at Will and Mike.

"That's cool, Losers. I heard from Robin she met someone who had two dads in California."

"They allow that?"

Dustin almost wanted to slap a hand over his mouth. Shit, he shouldn't have asked. He sounded so homophobic right now.

"Yeah. I don't think they're legally married, but I think they're together _together._ "

Dustin made an _oh_ sound, before nodding. Lucas congratulated them, while Dustin still found himself thinking...

What if his soulmate is a guy?

***

_1 month 14 days 19 hours 17 minutes and 16 seconds._

Lucas held out his message, placing it carefully by the tree. He turned around, only to see Will give him a thumbs up. No one really bought the Byers Residence, it was both a favor done by the new mayor to Will who had helped Hawkins from the Mind Flayer and an honor to Hopper who was a honorary Byers as well. Will just smiled at him, while Lucas nervously walked away from his note, hoping the sunflower won't drop.

As Lucas walked away, Will turned to the person lying on his old bed, reading his old comics.

"You really think we should help them? What if they aren't soulmates?"

"Shush, this is gonna work. I have a plan."

Mike made a confused face, placing the comic on his lap.

"That's what you said when we we're trying to get Steve and Jonathan. We ended up being accused of robbery."

"Trust me, it's gonna work. It's foolproof."

Will said, eyes twinkling as he spoke.

"You also said that."

"I promise it's gonna work, for sure."

"That's wha-"

"Say that one more time, you're gonna sleep on the floor."

"...Okay, it's gonna work."

Will smiled, kissing Mike on the cheek.

"That's more like it."

Will took out the paper he had been keeping in his pocket.

"This is definitely Dustin's handwriting."

"How did you know?"

Will just smiled and flipped to the back.

"It took me awhile, since you also have a bad handwriting, _but,_ Dustin curls his y and you don't."

"That seems stalkerish."

"You have been my best friend since we were five, in my defense."

"Forgiven, now what are we gonna do?"

Will only smiled, flipping the paper over, revealing Lucas's neat handwriting as he talked.

"Play cupid."

***

Dustin stared at hie soulmark. He didn't know why, but he did. It had been weeks, two weeks in fact, since the Byers had come back. Jonathan seemed to be hogging Steve all the time, but he didn't mind. He's got a lot on his plate. He had been asking Will if he saw who writes to him, but Will kept quiet, before saying it was a guy and it was what made Dustin blink hard, before letting out a few tears.

_"Can I ask you something?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"Ho-how did you know... How did you know you liked... Guys?"_

_Will just smiled, while Dustin stared at the flower by the note. He blushed at the words and hoped Will would answer soon._

_"I don't like guys... I just like one."_

_"What?"_

_That didn't make any fucking sense._

_"I meant... I don't like guys exclusively. I just like... Mike. I don't know, I just... I always have. And having him as my soulmate... I don't think I can like another."_

_Dustin saw Will give him a meaningful look. Will took another piece of the paper, smiling._

_"Did it ever occur to you that it might be... You know, someone you know?"_

_It did. It did occur to Dustin a lot. It occured to him so much that he wanted it to be real. And he felt unfair. He felt unfair to four people. To Caleb, to Lucas, to his soulmate and to himself. Right now, he wanted Caleb, Lucas, and his soulmate to be all one person, and he can't help but feel he was betraying his soulmate. He's got someone who is destined for him. But seeing how Will and Mike are together, they actually look_ _perfect_ _together, Dustin had this voice inside him wanting his soulmate to be Lucas._

_And his heart was jumping already to the fact that it felt right._

_"Will, what if... What if I'm... I'm_ **_gay_ ** _?"_

And before Dustin knew it, he was already ugly crying as Will hugged him tightly, surrounded by all the words Caleb had written, and Dustin finally felt as if he could accept himself.

***

Mike watched Lucas flip through a dictionary and resisted the urge to ask him the wrong thing. Damn it, Will is so _much_ better at this than him.

"What's with the dictionary?"

"Oh, I want to find something that rhymes with loving."

Mike pushed down the word _Dustin_ as he watched Lucas.

"For what?"

"For Gaten."

Lucas's head suddenly snapped up from the book and to Mike with wide eyes.

"Shit."

_Well, this sucks._ Mike thought. He doesn't even know what to say anymore. He wanted to write on his arm, but he left seeing Will sleep, and didn't want to be the reason why the boy wakes up so Mike had to suck this shit up and try his best to not ruin the: _"Operation make Henclair real."_

"Who's this Gaten?"

Lucas sighed in frustration as he massaged his temples.

"I don't know, man. I don't know who he is. All I know is that he wrote behind a paper that I wrote by the Castle Byers and- and, I don't know. I just... I just got this feeling, you know? Like, like I can connect to him."

Mike had his eyebrows at his hairline, he didn't expect Lucas to just rant himself up. But maybe it was because, as Will said, _it had been months._

"Like, when he just wrote another poem behind I just... It just felt right to ask who he is and before I know it, I'm writing poems to make him feel better, cause nobody deserves that you know."

Mike looked down at his arm, feeling it tingle.

_I hope Lucas is alright._

Mike rolled his eyes and wrote back.

_Gee, love, I feel so fine right now._

Will wrote back immediately.

_I got a good night sleep, so don't ruin it_ _sassypants_ _._

Mike just smiled at his arm, before turning back to Lucas.

"I'm pretty sure Gaten is nearer to you than you think. You never know. He might be your soulmate."

And with that, Mike Wheeler left the said Sinclair who's mouth was hanging open.

***

_ What are we? _

_16 days 12 hours 14 minutes and 15 seconds._

Lucas stared at the left message. It was simple, but nonetheless, it shook him to the core. He didn't really even know. He didn't know how he found himself taking a walk every single night, just to leave a message to Gaten. It became a habit. It was as if, if Lucas didn't do it, his heart was forming this knots to his stomach that hits him with so much guilt that he can't even stand.

So here he is, hoping that by the end of the countdown of his days, he would finally meet Gaten. Gaten would finally have enough courage to actually face him. And Lucas, even though he knew it wasn't possible (curse Mike for giving him ideas), hopes that it is Dustin.

The change in Dustin's behavior didn't go unnoticed by Lucas. And if it did, Will and Mike would always point it out and Lucas always found himself agreeing. Dustin seemed to have a wider smile, he even asks Will to teach calligraphy, and the boy just grinned before accepting it happily. Around that time, Lucas noticed that Gaten's writing also changed, it became more legible.

And Lucas pushed it to the fact that Gaten must've been practicing and because of their one month penpals, he had faired better in penmanship.

Lucas also noticed the similarities between Gaten and Dustin. Sometimes, Gaten would slip something about his teeth, and curly hair and the other day, Dustin was also talking about getting his hair straight. El didn't agree cause she said she liked Dustin's hair that way, Will also didn't agree and because of that, both Max and Mike also agreed that straight doesn't look good in Dustin.

They had watched Ferris Bueller's day off, and Lucas made a poem inspiration about it, and to his surprise, Gaten also got it. Taking a note that Lucas watched it with the Party, and there weren't many people watching that time.

Meaning, at least one of them had got to be Gaten, right?

And before Lucas knew it, he was writing a message he didn't know could ruin everything.

_ I like you. _

***

Will received a rude awakening. Which was strange because he rarely had that, ever since Mike insisted on sleeping beside him. But it wasn't Mike's snoring, it wasn't Mike hogging the sheets, _again_. No, it was the telephone by the stairs. Will didn't know why he insisted putting it near his room, but ever since Mike wanted nothing but to stay near him, Karen had been calling them non-stop, checking in on them. Will knew that it was partly because Mike didn't want to face Ted and the other was the conversation they had.

_"You know, if same sex marriage is allowed, you're already a Byers."_

_"I just like it better here. It's so much better than my house."_

_"Why is that?"_

_".... You're in it."_

Will groaned as he slowly wormed out of Mike's hold, walking out of his room and to the phone. If there's a goddamn clown waiting by the stairs, Will wouldn't hesitate throwing the phone at their face.

"Hello? This is Will."

He answered groggily. His eyes suddenly widened when the other side screamed frantically.

_"Oh my fucking son of Vader, HE TOLD HE LIKES ME! I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANT! DOES THAT MEAN HE LIKES LIKES ME? OR-"_

Will held the receiver an arm away from him, still rubbing the sleep off of his eyes. Steve's voice suddenly echoed behind him.

"Is that... Dustin?"

Will turned around, to see Steve scratching his head as he blinked his sleep away.

"Yeah... I-"

"What the hell is that noise?"

Mike's voice came from his room as the boy sat up, finding Will.

"Dustin called."

Will replied, as if it explained everything. And it somehow did, Dustin was still shouting about the definition of the word like and how 28% probability can be concluded that it was his soulmate and there's roughly 19% that Lucas and Caleb are the same person.

"Speak in english, Dustin..."

Will slowly said, looking back only to see Jonathan sending them a lazy look as he leaned on Steve's shoulder. Will remembered that Jonathan had a black mark on his shoulder back then in a shape on blob, turns out it was the shape of Steve's crazy hair and it had caused them being accused of robbery just to get Steve to lean into Jonathan's shoulder as he was getting interrogated.

_"Will, Caleb wrote back. He said he likes me. What does that fucking mean?"_

Will sighed, what would he fucking say? He gave Jonathan and Steve a desperate look, and Jonathan walked to him, took the phone and spoke slowly.

"Here's what you gotta do. Sleep. Get ready for later, and we're all gonna figure it out, okay?"

Jonathan shooed them back to bed after reassuring Dustin to go back to sleep.

"They're hopeless."

Steve said, yawning as Jonathan smiled, hugging him close.

"Hopelessly in love."

***

_15 days 16 hours 17 minutes 19 seconds._

Dustin noticed his soulmark slowly changed into gold. Maybe magic does exist after all. He was sitting down by the quarry, he finally managed to make the others agree with him to hang out. To his surprise, Will agreed to go. Dustin watched the soulmark slowly dispated, and heard a voice.

"Hey, Dusty!"

Max was waving her hand at them, El was following her, munching on an eggo that was wrapped around in plastic that may have been whipped up by Joyce. Mike and Will were talking quietly behind them, smiling once in a while as they pointed at El and Max. Lucas was walking behind them, head hung low, nervously.

"Hey, guys. Thought you gonna bail out on me."

Dustin mentally prepared himself to begin talking. He had been the one to request the meeting, and he wanted to do it in an open space, so just in case shit went wrong, the quarry's ready to take him in forever.

"That's not possible, Dustin. You ranted my ear off last night."

Will said, meaning no harm as he sat down in front of him.

"So, what's this whole code _insanely crazy bat shit idea_ of a meeting?"

Max said, quoting Lucas's exact words when Mike called each one of them.

"Okay, um, don't freak out. But I think met my soulmate."

"Really?"

El said excitedly, she loves seeing people with soulmates, she hadn't met hers yet.

"Like I said, don't freak out."

"So, just spill the beans!"

"Okay, so I wrote to this guy, his name is Caleb... Um, he writes poems a lot, and, and for the past months, we've been talking... And talking and I, I think he might be my soulmate."

Will was watching Lucas carefully, anything to give away what their next move would be. After giving the idea to Dustin that it might mean that Caleb can be his soulmate, Will's gotta think through if Caleb is Lucas. He saw Lucas's eyes widened and panicked for a split second, before he went back to a neutral state.

"And I think... I think I'm gay."

Dustin spoke loke a whisper. Preparing himself to jump to the quarry in 3, 2-

Lucas was the first one to hug him. The others' just stared at them, with their mouths hanging open as they stared at the display.

And Lucas whispered back, as if he was whispering to himself rather than to Dustin.

_"I'm here."_

***

"I think we made it worse."

Will winced beside Mike, he can feel guilt inside him again as he watched Lucas walk back upstairs when Dustin looked at him, sadly.

"No need to remind me, Mikey."

"I said we, we're in this together."

Mike said, wrapping an arm around Will as they watched the two awkwardly moved around each other. Will kept his stare at Dustin who was looking down at his arm, while Lucas was taking too long at the kitchen. It had been a week since Dustin outed himself to them, but it seemed as if Dustin kept more secrets to himself rather than the opposite. The more Dustin opened up to them, the more he hid.

Dustin didn't know why. Dustin didn't know why all of a sudden Caleb had stopped talking to him. It wasn't unexpected, Dustin knows that he isn't a very worth it person, but it didn't lessen the pain of being led on. He wanted to cry, but at the same time, he didn't want to see the eight days mark on his arm. Maybe Caleb is coming to see him, like how Mike ran to Will so they can talk. Maybe he's also halfway around the world, maybe he has powers like El's.

Dustin laughed silently, the more he thinks about it, the more it hurts. The more he tried to justify the missing letters, the crazier it becomes.

Maybe Caleb got tired of him.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Lucas tried to push himself to focus on the kettle. Max was talking to him, but Lucas wasn't listening to her at all.

_Dustin liked him._

What if Dustin is his soulmate? Lucas would be so happy. But what if he isn't? Then not only would he be devastated, but he can ruin their friendship, the whole party. And Lucas doesn't want to try breaking the so-called theory of soulmates, as how Dustin had talked about, Lucas knew that it wouldn't end well for them.

Especially _with them._

It might've been okay for Lucas with Max, they hadn't have that much of a history yet but Lucas and Dustin? Lucas knew he would break if Dustin finds his own soulmate, feeling _the magic_ and before Lucas knows it, Dustin had left him in the air.

"-cas. Lucas? Hey, stalker, are you listening?"

Max waved her hands in front of Lucas, making the dark skinned boy held his own hands up, in order to grab Max's hands away, cause it was making him dizzy.

"Yeah, yeah, what were you saying?"

Lucas asked, trying to push another thought of Dustin being his soulmate, maybe he could finally sleep in the same bed with him, like how domesticated Mike and Will are.

"I'm just saying, what if it's Dustin?"

Lucas wanted to say thanks to Max for reminding him of someone he wanted to forget.

"What about him?"

"What if he's your Gaten?"

"What? _no_."

Max gave him an exasperated look.

"Come on, now, Lucas, you already said it yourself! Dustin had said so as well."

"Look, I don't wanna break our friendship, Dustin's really important to me. I cannot just go back into being friends with him as easy as it is with you, okay? He's different, and so are you. But it's easier with you-"

Lucas turned to his left, seeing a flash of red and pink. He was about to look at Max, when he realized who just walked in on them.

Eleven.

"Oh, uh, the guys... The guys are looking for you."

El said bashfully, turning to look at Max's and Lucas's hands who were linked together as they talked.

"But, I... I'll just say you're busy."

And before Max can stop her, El already walked out of them, hurrying back to the basement.

Downstairs, Will and Mike were already sleeping on the couch, not moving even when El's footfalls was thundering and all of a sudden, Dustin was yanked back to his feet, and pulled out of the back door by none other than Eleven Hopper.

***

_1 day 4_ _hours 14 minutes 8 seconds._

Dustin was listening on a song by Madonna as he wrote an essay his mom had assigned him to do over the remaining days. He hadn't gotten out of the house, he had avoided the Party for six days and Will has been helping him.

Especially after he confronted Will in being involved in the whole charades. No one can lie to El after all. El was hanging out with him, looking at her reflection in the mirror, as she tried different hairstyles, mostly copying the iconic space buns. As El twisted her hair up, Dustin noticed an ink drawn at the back of her neck.

It was undoubtedly a skateboard.

Dustin didn't notice that he dropped the pen he was holding, staring at the tattoo that was marked on El's neck.

"Is that... A skateboard?"

El only turned back at him after she was finally satisfied with a messy bun on the left side. She frowned at him, placing a hand over the mark.

"The scientists did something to my mark... I don't know if it is real at all."

El replied, frowning. Dustin can only nod at her, trying not to reveal an idea that it might be Max. His telephone rang from downstairs and he muttered an excuse to El. Dustin was half-expecting it to be Max, but to his surprise, it was Mike.

_"Dude. You need to come to that stupid acacia tree."_

Dustin didn't find a heart to reply, and Mike kept on ranting.

_"You need to atleast talk to Lucas. Look, we know messing with you guys is bad, but it felt right. You know that."_

Dustin felt his heart now drop at that. It did feel right. It did feel fucking right. But what if it isn't? What if int he span of his remaining day, someone talks to him and they were his soulmate? What's that gonna leave with him with? A relationship and a broken friendship?

As Mike ranted to why Dustin should go, Dustin himself was already having his own thoughts. His friendship with Lucas is already broken enough, after what he had done to Dustin in first place.

"Give me some time."

***

_5 hours 12 minutes and 9 seconds._

If Lucas from two months ago would've read the time right now, he would've been excited. But now, Lucas can't feel any of it. He was waiting by the Byers house, as Mike kept on trying to ground him into the place, rather than letting Lucas rant. It was perfectly familiar to Lucas, how Mike tried to deal with his problem as how Lucas dealt with Mike's problem with El, he was glad some things never changed. Mike kept his twnety one step distance as well, helping Lucas still look at his mark.

He waited for the same sound of Dustin's bike bells when he reaches any of the Party's house. Lucas found himself a little antsy, and decided to go back to the acacia tree, with Mike telling him to be careful.

Hours may have passed, Lucas didn't know. But he saw the sun slowly setting when he opened his eyes from hearing rustling leaves from in front of him.

"You're still here."

"Dustin."

Lucas felt as if he had seen Dustin in a new light. As if not seeing him for a week made Lucas realized that Dustin's curls really made his blue eyes brighter. Dustin's mouth was hanging open in disbelief, he was wearing his blue hoodie and the same star wars inspired sneakers.

Dustin felt his bones practically jumping from the want to hug Lucas. But remembering how Lucas said that with Max it was easier than it was with him, Dustin hesitated.

"You... You came."

"Mike begged me."

Dustin started, looking at the papers behind Lucas. From the array of red, yellow, green to violet, all of it was according to Dustin's mood. Red for sad, orange excited, blue meant calm, pink for crush, green for insecurities. And Lucas would always write back in yellow for happiness.

"Why... Why did you write... Here?"

Lucas doesn't have an answer to it.

"Why did you write back?"

Dustin blushed under his gaze, kicking the rock angrily.

"I... I really don't know... It just felt, felt right."

Lucas almost wanted to laugh, because yes, that's why he wrote as well, cause it felt so fucking right to do so. But how come out of all the people in the world, Dustin would be the one to write back?

"Do you want to disprove the theory of soulmates with me?"

Lucas asked, trying out what Mike had told him. Dustin frowned and shook his head.

"No, I... Why would you ask me? Isn't it easier with Max?"

_What_? Lucas made a face at Dustin's sudden involvement of the red haired girl.

"Max?"

"El told me. You said it was easier to be with her, than it is with me."

_So that's what the whole avoiding Lucas thing was?_ Lucas thought to himself, sensing a need to defend himself.

"That's not what I was trying to say... What I mean-"

"That's is harder with me? Don't worry, I get it. We're both guys, we have our own soulmates, I don't want to break our friendship so don't fucking make it harder for me!"

Lucas laughed, making Dustin glare at him.

"Harder for you? You know what, fuck you. This is bullshit, what the hell did I do?"

Dustin huffed in anger, prodding a finger to his chest, which was quite comical for Dustin stands a little shorter than Lucas.

"What did you do? You made me fucking hate you! I hate you because you still love _her_!"

Lucas's mind halted. It was the eight fucking words. Looking down at his arm, he expected to see nothing, Dustin was standing so close to him. But no, the words on his arm began to glow in blue. Much like how it was suppose to appear. Dustin stopped his rant, seeing the blue wisp from Lucas's hand, turning to a small string, looping itself around Dustin's hand.

"You're my soulmate..."

Dustin said, reeling his mind back to the what the hell did I do question. Before they knew it, they were both laughing. It wasn't any normal laugh, it was soft. Like a whisper, breathless, but filled with so much emotion.

"You're my soulmate..."

Lucas repeated, all the voices finally silencing inside him as he remembered the poems he and Dustin wrote.

From the time he gave a sunflower to Dustin,

_The way this flower follows the sun, is how I would look at you_   
_Cuase everytime I imagine your smile,_   
_It makes my day brighter and brighter_

The time when Dustin was trying to comfort him when Lucas finally accepted the fact that he was gay,

_If I was there I would've wiped the tears,_   
_But I hope these words can hug you the way I wanted to_   
_I accept you, no matter what_   
_And I'm happy you trust me enough_

And that poem thst he wrote as he confessed to Dustin,

_I like you_   
_That's all I can say,_   
_Everytime I write to you, it feels right_   
_And I hope you feel it too_

Dustin was laughing with him as Lucas found himself hugging Dustin, hugged by the messages they written for one another. Maybe hidden by names, but both of them knew, no name can cover up how they felt for each other.

Lucas felt Dustin shift, and before he knew it, Dustin stood on his tip toes, and kissed him in the lips. Dustin curled his fingers around Lucas's arms when he heard the vibration of laughter from the other boy. As Dustin pulled away, Lucas gave him a small smile.

"Suzie was right. Kissing is so much better without teeth. Especially if it's you."

"Shut up, shithead, you still owe me a date."

Dustin bit back, as Lucas smiled fondly at him.

Dustin is really his sun, and Lucas is willing forever to be Dustin's sunflower.

"You okay?"

Lucas only smiled, pulling Dustin into a hug, feeling safer than he was all his life.

_"I feel perfect."_

_******_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm happy with how the poems turned out, if there's still some work to edit(typos and grammar and spellings) please don't hesitate to point it out, I really don't know if I miss some words, thank you for reading it!


	3. Octopus and Flowers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I finally managed to push myself to write the final chapter, I really was surprised for it getting 435 hits, I'm so happy! If you guys liked this you can leave comments and kudos, and if there are any typos, you can point it out, thank you!

_"One day, you're prince will come. And he will ask for your hand, and he will always think you are the most beautiful princess there is."_

Max knew she was no princess. She doesn't need to get rescued from a goddamn tower, she's not cursed by her evil witch stepmother, no, she's the one who had saved the asses of those weirdos _who_ she now calls friends, and she's awesome at skateboarding _and_ games.

And because of that, Max already knew that she **doesn't** need a man, nor a soulmate. Back when she was a kid, her soulmark was a beautiful flower. Bright colored red, with softly written petals by her neck. Max was so proud of it, of how beautiful her mark was. At least, that was before she was called out by her classmate.

_"Wonder who's your soulmate, octopod, A flower boy?"_

_"Shut up, Lucius."_

Max rolled her eyes to herself as she remembered those words, especially being called octopus for her messy red hair. A florist didn't seem too bad to her, as long as she doesn't _always_ get roses from them. And before Max could even think about having a _flower boy_ as her soulmate, her mother had begun introducing something the society calls, double standards.

Like how women cannot ask guys out because they'll come off as desperate. Or men cannot cry because their babies if they did so. Or how men should pay in dates because it's just right that way, or women not being allowed to play manly games because they're considered weak (and having muscles isn't feminine).

Max didn't like it. Not at all. She can ask guys out just fine as they can ask her out. She can play manly games, she can do skateboarding just as how the neighbor's kid can. Boys could cry just like how she could, Will cries like that. And Max just comforts him as how she comforted the others when Hopper died, along with Billy. When Max goes out back then with Lucas, she would also insist in paying, but Lucas would say that it is his job to do so, (some sort requirement to fill his ego, in Max's opinion).

After a while, Max grew okay with double standards. Like how she was okay with Billy paying for his date's dinner, or Jim doing the same for Joyce. She understands that men wanted to make women feel special and that's one of the ways. She understands how different it was when Mike begged El to stay, it looked... Cute, back then. Romantic, even. But when Max imagines El doing the same to Mike, she sees a little desperation in it. As if Mike could sell himself short but not El.

And because of that, Max was learning the curve of double standards.

That is, until Mike and Will returned, being soulmates. It wasn't weird, Max accepted the whole gay thing, especially with the amount of time she hung out with Robin when El was in therapy dealing with both the lost of her powers and Jim's death. But because of them( Will and Mike), she realized how to actually fix the double standards thing.

Will is most likely the girl in the relationship, Max firmly believes that. Now, when they went on a date--group date-- with Lucas and Dustin who was trying awkwardly to get to the dating stage and not just-friends-hanging-out stage, Max saw how Mike and Will _splits the bill._ It wasn't Mike, it wasn't Will. It was _both_ of them. In the latter dates, Max noticed Lucas and Dustin doing exchanges of who asks who to dates, they take turns in paying, and Max realized they could make things work just how they want, no need for double standards.

And with her newfound realization, Max would've been happy to accept her soulmate of flowers... If it was still a flower mark.

But it wasn't.

Max's soulmark changed from a flower, to a waffle.

Dustin called it parkour as soon as he saw it.

Waffles are truly gender neutral, it can't represent a girl nor a boy. After a while of staring, Dustin had told her that it could be El, and Max just found herself not believing.

Her soulmark is a flower. Not a waffle. Something must've gone wrong with her soulmate.

And because of that, Max didn't dare believe in soulmates.

But goddamn it for Lucas and Dustin for making her confused.

It wasn't very long since Lucas had asked for the whole group to play DnD in Mike's basement. Max was a little hesitant cause she remembered Mike and his dad having a huge fight over dinner when he had said that he and Will were soulmates, making Mike and Will walk out of the place and stayed in the Byers. After days of awkwardly passing by the Wheeler Household, Nancy came out and said her soulmate was Robin, it didn't take long for them to realize when Robin first met Nancy.

Max remembered their soulmarks being the first words they said, which was, on Nancy's:

_"That was kinda hot."_

And on Robin's:

_"Thanks, you're not so bad yourself."_

And they had said to one another after defeating the Mind Flayer, Nancy still holding a shotgun while Robin was holding a piece of glass from the windows broke by El. And because of the whole confession thing, Ted had no other choice but to welcome his children back, with hesitantly open arms.

Max also noticed the disappearance of double standards with Robin and Nancy. They took turns in cooking, they split the bill, they both wear the same clothes, and made sure to not get called out and catcalled for it. Robin made sure no one, and Max knows that no one, messes with the two of them because they're both girls.

Taking all the past events to consideration, as she pedalled with El holding her waist, going to the Wheeler's house, Max felt that things are atleast going well.

One of the things that Max knew she and El both didn't know from one another was their own soulmarks. It took a while before El gets the meaning of the soulmarks, and the concept of having a soulmate, even going as far as dating Mike to just see if soulmates are a real thing( El's words, not hers.) And when El broke it off, noting how she kissed Mike.

_"He didn't close his eyes."_

_El spoke slowly, Max raised an eyebrow as they packed up her clothes, getting ready for El to go with her to the Mayfield Residence._

_"Who?"_

_"Mike... He didn't close his eyes. I broke up with him._ _For real, like.. really real."_

_Max knew how simple it was for El to break up with someone. The "break up" in the Starcourt Mall was more like it. El was never angered easily, unless someone gets hurt._

_"Well, there's nothing we can do about it."_

_"I told him I like someone else."_

_Max stopped at that, slowly looking up to El who was still looking her teddy bear. Max felt her throat dry at how innocent El looked while staring at her stuffed toy._

_"Yeah?"_

_She urged El on, ignoring how her hand felt clammy, and how she felt the stillness of everything._ _What would El say?_

_"And I told him he_ _lik_ _\- loves Will..."_

_The tension was gone, and Max felt a little relieved, she didn't know what she waiting for. For El to say who she likes and Max to expect it to be her?_

_"Max."_

_El said sharply, crouching down as she focused on Max. Max inwardly cursed, seeing her clothes around El's._

_"What if I like girls?"_

Max told her it was okay. And El said that Will said the same thing, even hugging her and giving her a drawing of herself. El attached it on her side of the room, that sometimes, even Max stares at it when El is sleeping.

Everything was going sort of okay after that.

They were all trying to calm down, to get out of the nightmare they are all in, Mike was locked up in his room, Lucas weren't talking to anyone, Dustin was too busy with the Russians aftermath... They were all distracted from one another.

Then Mike just found his soulmate, going back with Will and every single shit happened _and now_ , now, as Max looked back to how broken they all were and looking now to how happy Dustin and Lucas were as they got to the basement, to how happy Mike was as Will drew on his arm, Max wouldn't change a goddamn thing.

"Hey, losers."

She greeted, sitting down by the couch, grabbing one comic. El greeted the others and caught up with Lucas for a while. Echoes of hey's were said back and Max just found herself closing her eyes calmly, finding peace after a week of charades with Lucas and Dustin.

The school had been coming late, starting around November, rather than the usual September. It was because of the rebuilding of the Starcourt Mall, the fear of Hawkins still plastered over the town and everyone was still messed up from the news. The new mayor, Stillson, Max remembered, requested for the school to start off late and they all found themselves having fun with the lateness of it.

High school will be rolling in after this, and Max couldn't wait to finally grow old, get out of her mother's shitty house and finally get to do whatever she wants. She can get El out of the toxicity of their family, double standards all the time.

" _Girls should be doing the cooking, boys work. Girls should know how to wash clothes, boys.. they have us girls to do that."_

_Max let out a huff as she watched El scrub off the mess from the plates while she dust off the leftovers from the table, while Neil just watched TV._

_"Boys shouldn't sing pop songs, they're gay if they do that. Listen only to Madonna, not those disgusting rock bands."_

_Her mother shut the music off, El loved listening to should I stay or should I go for it makes her remember Will. And Will makes her remember Joyce, and it makes her remember her dad, Jim Hopper._

_"Girls should wear dresses, not these_ _baggy_ _shirts. Come on, Max help me out here."_

_That was the last straw, Max had only answered with,_

_"Let her wear it, mom. Billy doesn't even wear anything in the house back then!"_

_The paled face of her mother never felt so satisfying as it did when Max mentioned the "forbidden name". Susan only froze, before getting up and wiping a tear from her shocked face and running out of the room._

Max didn't know when did she get that disrespectful. Maybe it was because she missed Billy? Or it was because of how Billy wasn't much of an asshole he was as he tries to be? Maybe it was because of how open minded Billy was to everything. Or how Billy doesn't care if a girl works, if she pays for dinner. Billy didn't like double standards and it made Max felt _understood_.

"You okay?"

Will's voice came into her ears, laced with concern. Max's eyes popped open in fear, before turning to the said Byers. Will had his eyes trained on hers, with a slightly interested look.

"Yeah."

Will's hands was filled with flowers, and it made Max a little nostalgic, the beautiful petals, the deep and light contrasting colors of green with brown and black to create vines and branches, all Max could feel was her soulmark.

"Do you like it?"

Will asked after a while, noticing Max's look on his arm.

"Yeah... It's nice. Where are the others?"

Max said, lingering her looks on the empty space where Lucas and Dustin were a while ago with El and the couch where Mike was laid with Will.

"Mike and El said they're gonna buy snacks. Lucas and Dustin took the inventions from Dustin's house, I think he wanted to record music and take it everywhere. So it would be easier for us to play DnD in Scoops Ahoy."

Will explained, getting up and walking to the bookshelves before opening one of the books, Max saw the words multi-classing on the spine.

"I know it's hard to multi class with ninja and cleric, but I think I can pull it off, mana and chakra are a bit hard to distinguish, but I'm sure I can figure out the ropes. Do you want to multi class as well?"

Will turned to her, placing down the book face up, with the lists of possible classes. Max is fine with being a zoomer, dustin a bard, Lucas and Mike with their very own, Max forgot, and El being a mage, Will a cleric and a ninja now. As Max listened to Will ramble on, her thoughts settle into a different side.

Dustin was right, Will is the glue of the group. It was because of Will (laced with the fear of Mike) why Max was a little considerate of how she talks. Because of Will, Max learned that calling someone a fairy, gay, or faggot can cause some of them to bleed. Max wasn't blind, she knew Will was suffering from something, but she can't believe that those words prompted him to cut his legs. Because of Will, Max learned that guys can have hearts and her father was just a bitter weirdo like Will's father. Will might've been gone from time to time, but he is the reason why the party kept going.

"- _ax_? _Max_... Max!"

"Whu-what?"

Max answered, tensing as Will sat down on the DnD table. He took one look at her, and Max felt a little exposed, when did Will had that kind of look? It briefly reminded Max of El.

"There's something wrong. Do you want to talk about it?"

Will asked, and Max felt her breath hitch. What would Will think? She knew he would be accepting, but what if he _isn't_? Maybe guys are allowed to be gay, and girls, like Robin will be looked down on... But Nancy is also gay, right? And Mike and Will are okay with it... So what is stopping her from asking for help?

A small but firm voice echoed inside her head.

_"El's your stepsister."_

And Max felt herself breaking at it. Is that why her mark is messed up? Cause she's this confused? Or El having powers changed the whole thing? Is she even Max's soulmate?

"Max."

Will repeated, concern in his eyes as he watched the conflict rise in Max's form. She was shaking, eyes wide and wondering. And before Max knew it, she was already crying.

***

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

Mike asked, seeing the untouched eggos on the shelf. El was just looking over the M&Ms and sadly sighing at the eggos.

"I like Max."

Mike nodded, he was prepared for it. With Will and Robin both having very good gaydars after all.

"And...?"

"I don't think she likes me..."

_"They are so fucking in love it's saddening sometimes."_

_Robin said, placing the chairs on the table as she closed up the Scoops Ahoy._

_"Why?"_

_Mike asked, pulling Will up to stop staring at the ice creams._

_"Cause I think they're both in some sort of existential crisis."_

And Mike finally understood what that meant.

"What made you think that?"

Mike began, taking words from his boyfriend who is the therapist of Dustin and Lucas when they are still both awkward in their "first date". 

"Cause I try to tell her she's pretty, she just doesn't say anything. I give her eggos she doesn't take it. Sometimes I ask Nancy to help me pick flowers cause her Mom said that girls liked flowers. But she just say they're pretty and left without taking it... What am I doing wrong?"

_Definitely the eggos._ Mike had to force himself to not say it. _And the flowers._ Max doesn't like flowers, Lucas had told him that when he was still in the cool-off zone with her. But that didn't give her the right to ignore El that easily.

Something's gotta be up.

"Did you talk to her about it?" 

He asked, glaring as he grabbed a tub of ice cream and hoped the beverage wouldn't fucking melt when they got home. El followed him as they walked to the counter, while she answered.

"Tried... Tried to. I think she doesn't want to talk about it."

Mike just nodded sadly, not sure if he wanted to mess with El and Max yet, especially since Lucas wouldn't stop calling him in the middle of the night because he didn't know how to make sure Dustin would like the movie. Mike managed to sleep well after that, well, after Jonathan coming out of the room and pulling the plug so they will not call anymore.

He biked with El home, passing by Lucas's house unknowingly where the two are currently awkwardly talking.

***

"So, uh, I'm gonna... You don't have to carry that, I'll take it."

Lucas said, and immediately threw his hand back when Dustin reached for it as if it burned him. Lucas made a guttaral sound while Dustin hissed. Lucas just shrugged, knowing the awkwardness. The sound of people talking out side of the room was echoing but Lucas and Dustin can't find themselves understanding anything.

After a while of staring at each other, Lucas sighed.

"I know this is difficult... I'm not really, entirely ready... But..."

"We gotta work with what we get."

Dustin spoke, sighing as well. How did Mike and Will managed this? Dustin placed his hands inside his pockets, a mannerism Lucas learned from a week. It's a sign Dustin is a bit hesitant. 

"I'm scared too... But I'm willing to risk it if you are."

Lucas spoke, the silence was killing him. Dustin looked up from his hat, his bright blue eyes widening a bit. Lucas liked to be certain, and being that reckless, especially with him, Dustin felt his heart flutter.

"Okay."

Dustin shakily said, taking out his hand from his pocket and holding it out to Lucas.

"Together?"

"Yeah."

Lucas simply said, smiling as he intertwined his hands in Dustin's, grinning when Dustin blushed, complimenting the auburn hair. Dustin smiled, grabbing the invention, and smiling brighter when Lucas helped him get it to the radio.

As they walked together back home, Lucas found himself asking Dustin.

"Do you think El and Max can be soulmates?"

Dustin just nodded, before frowning, his lips forming to a pout as he squinted a reply.

"Yeah... But El said something about the scientists messing up her mark..."

"Really? They can do that?"

Dustin nodded, his shoulders slumping.

"Yeah, she said back then it was some sort octopus."

"A what?"

Lucas asked, eyes narrowing as he tried to connect Max and an octopus.

"Let's give it to her, she doesn't have a clue what a dog is when we met her."

"Touché."

Dustin felt Lucas's hand tighten on his as they left the place, slightly nervous but happy.

At least they're finally learning the ropes.

When they returned to the basement, Max and Will were both talking quietly. Mike and El were not yet around and Lucas didn't know why he had to make Dustin shush as they listened in on Max and Will.

_"She's my stepsister, Will!"_

_"So?"_

_"I can't like her that way."_

_"Max..."_

_"What if she found it disgusting? With all the fucking shit drilled into her head by mom?"_

_"She won't. She won't care cause it's you. She won't care cause you're you."_

_"Will..."_

Lucas can't believe he was hearing Max whine. It was a pleading sound from her, and Lucas knew Max doesn't want to seem defeated or losing. They heard a bit more ranting and Will trying to comfort Max but Max just kept on trying to reason why she can't like El.

"They need help, do they?"

Lucas took one look at his soulmate and smiled sadly.

"Badly."

***

Dustin sighed as he took the chip from Will. Will had invented a use of chips, with small wires that holds up memories of the tape, instead of carrying large sets of mixtape, one can move forward and backward(rewind) a song easily. 

They had been doing this for three weeks. He and Will, Lucas and Mike, then Lucas and Will, then he and Mike. The four of them keeping themselves busy and letting El and Max try to get along and talk about it. They had told Max about El's mark and the only thing stopping her from asking El out is her own identity crisis. 

Dustin would hate to admit it, but even he was a little annoyed. If only Max can stop being so afraid of losing El and getting judge for liking her stepsister, they wouldn't have a hard time. 

And yet they do.

"What would you have done?"

Will asked as he leaned back on the chair, fixing the wires. Dustin frowned, Will's got thinner fingers than him and it was quite annoying.

"Lucas is not my stepbrother. And if he was, mom would definitely get rid of him before I could even say I like him."

"Glad to hear you say Lucas's name without stuttering anymore."

Will said, smiling running a hand through his newly cut hair. It had been styled into a whole new level, something that should be in 2000s, in Dustin's opinion but who is he to judge? Will had styled his hair into a neat style, with the others brushed back giving a vibe of a good, chill kid. 

"Shut up, dude. Don't remind me."

Will just smirked at him. After a while of silence, Dustin groaned, hearing the telephone ringing. Will was too busy connecting the tapes and wires that Dustin just chose to leave him to it.

"Hey, Henderson."

Dustin said in greeting while Lucas's voice came from the other side.

_"Hey, Gaten."_

Dustin smiled, remembering the nickname given to him.

"Well, this is a nice surprise, Caleb."

_"I know, anything with me is a nice surprise."_

"And now I'm officially cutting you off."

Dustin said, smiling as he heard Lucas sigh and imagined his soulmate just rolling his eyes.

_"Just let me have it, okay? Anyways, there's a huge problem."_

"How huge?"

_"Like... Erica anger huge."_

"Oh, that is huge."

Dustin heard Lucas laugh from the other side and Dustin realized he just spoke in double meaning.

"Oh shut up, Caleb."

_"Wait- ow- Mike just threw a chess piece at me. Here's the thing. El called, she's finally_ _donw_ _with therapy and Mrs. Mayfield is making up this huge party for them, are we gonna go?"_

Dustin took a step back from the events that happened. Robin had been giving her lesbian aunt advice to Max, but Max just kept on ignoring it and talking to El as if nothing is going on. El, on the other hand, was just happy that Max wanted to talk to her, and if not mentioning about soulmates is the way to go, El is more than happy to not talk about it. 

But the other Party members aren't. It was seriously killing the four of them seeing Max and El that in love without them making a move.

_"Do you want extra quarters?"_

_El nervously looked from the claw machine and to Max._

_"You haven't beaten your score yet."_

_"Yeah, it's okay. You wanted the pink starfish, right?"_

_Max said, smiling as El nodded enthusiastically._

_"Yeah, I got the SpongeBob one already... I want to have Patrick as well."_

Giving extra quarters is language of love, in Max's verbatim. She doesn't give away things that easily, and Dustin had learned that the hard way. There are times that El would cook mountains of eggos and she would hand three to Max with a heart while the others have messy writing of their names.

_"Why is mine a circle?"_

_"It's a wheel, like your name."_

_"Did Max teach you that?"_

_Mike said as Will laughed out loud, throwing his head back as Mike shushed him._

_"Will, don't laugh!"_

_"I can't, hahah, I can't help it... Haha, Wheeler!"_

Dustin saw Mike took one look at Will and both of them are laughing again, as Dustin saw the design in Will's eggo. It was something that seemed to be hand waving, and after that they were laughing as well. Dustin smiled as he brought the phone near him and spoke confidently.

"Yeah, let's go."

***

It was how they ended up inside the Mayfield Residence, with their parents and some of their relatives just talking to each other.

Dustin's mom and Lucas's father was talking happily as they compared how their own children behaved in dinner, being more talkative and open. Lucas and Dustin were by the couch, with Erica as Neil played a movie of Star Trek. Susan was chatting with Karen and Joyce in the kitchen while Max and El helped in fixing the table.

Upstairs, where Steve, Jonathan, Nancy and Robin are talking while Mike and Will were both by the stairs, both listening to the people in the second floor and the people by the kitchen.

_"I don't get how you did it, Joyce."_

They heard Susan asked as a sound of closing of stove was heard.

_"Do what?"_

Joyce's raspy voice was heard, then a sound clanging can be heard.

_"Accept that Will and Mike are together, with that Steve guy and Jonathan."_

It seemed that before Joyce can answer, Karen aadded her thoughts.

_"Me too. I mean, I'm trying you know. I'm trying to accept that both Mike and Nancy are... Gay, but I, I just_ _ can't _ _."_

Mike frowned at his mom's answer. He had known that they were disappointed with everything, but he was trying to make up for the fact of _what_ he is. He felt Will's hug on him tighten as the boy pecked his temples, smiling, Mike just listened in on the conversation.

_"I don't know, I mean... I already got it with Will when he was a kid, I just sort of understand, as a mom."_

Will smiled gratefully as he saw his mom's figure smiling by the side, while Karen scoffed with Susan.

_"You're too soft on them, I had already told Maxine that if I ever see her having that kind of relationship- ugh."_

"Wha'cha guys listening on?"

Steve's rowdy accent voice made the two of them look up and wave.

"Everyone, dinner. Will, make sure your brother's shirt isn't wrinkled."

Joyce spoke loudly to them, whispering the latter part to Will who nodded. As Will let go of Mike and ran to his brother, Mike saw Joyce send him a smile.

_"Don't worry about them."_

Mike sent her a small smile back.

Dinnertime came in fast, arrays of food, from sweet to sour, with spicy and salty, hot and cole together. A stack of eggos was in the middle and some of Jim and Billy's favorite foods. El sat beside Max happily while Max glared on the Party and Steve. Karen didn't attend with Ted, saying that je was watching over Holly while Neil ate quietly with Susan who was talking loudly to them.

"I'm glad you guys had come over for today. After everything that had happened with Jim and my son, Billy and to that day, I'm glad we all survived."

The Party exchanged glances and nodded to Susan who smiled at them but the smile slowly turned into a frown as she laid her eyes on Mike and Will's hands under the table. She saw Mike lift Will's hand up and kissed it.

Turning to the other side, her eyes widened as she saw Lucas and Dustin laughing while they said grace and Lucas tucking Dustin's curls behind his ear. Steve and Jonathan were holding hands on the table while Nancy was using the chopsticks and teaching Robin how to use it. Susan created a loud but trapped noise as she saw Robin smile and took a large bite on the noodles that was held up by Nancy's chopsticks.

The guests stopped moving, with Max and El turning to their mother with curious looks.

"Are you seeing this?"

Susan asked, turning to Joyce who was haplily munching on a chicken as she talked with Karen.

"Seeing what?"

Joyce asked, whole Susan gestured to Mike and Will, then to Jonathan and Steve.

"Those, those _things_! Strange things!"

"Mom."

Max cut in, knowing already what was going on. 

"They're doing _those_ things! And you're letting them?!"

"Oh my god, mom!"

Joyce made a confused face, standing up as she tried to calm Susan down.

"Susan calm down, we can talk about this, what is wrong?"

"You didn't tell me about your children being gay, Karen."

"What is wrong with being gay?"

El asked innocently from the side, her eyes wandering over to her friends. Steve was already tense beside Jonathan, ready to stand up and walk if needed to.

"What is wrong with being gay?"

Steve asked, although it sounded nowhere from innocent, more like a death threat. But Susan wasn't one to back down from an argument and spoke.

"They're sinners and will burn in hell, disgusting homo-"

"Oh, **bullshit**."

Steve cut in, standing up as he continued.

"You know what, bitch? If our presence isn't pleasing to you, you could've just said so, I don't appreciate you talking to us that way, and won't allow it anymore, so-"

Steve propped Lucas and Dustin to stand up, while Jonathan pulled Mike and Will to their feet. 

"We'll go."

Steve took one look at the turkey and took it with his hands.

"And we're taking this."

They heard footfalls of the six people, and a sound of door shutting with Steve's voice.

_"Harrington out!"_

Silence passed by them, awkwardly staring at the spaces left by the kids and two other adults.

_**"Mom, what the hell?!"** _

Max shouted, turning to her mother with her face as red as her hair, blue eyes seething with fury, as she gave her mother the most threatening look.

"You shouldn't be hanging out with boys, especially like them, they're disgusting and horrible!"

"MOM, JUST STOP! THEY'RE MY FRIENDS!"

Robin nodded subtly to Joyce as she covered El's ears.

" That's the problem, Maxine! They're your friends! And they're gonna turn you into one of them!"

"So what?! At least I can finally be myself!"

Susan held her next words, fear instilled in her eyes as she took in Max's statement.

"You can what?"

"Mom... Mom, I like girls."

Max definitely expected the harsh slap on her face and Nancy gasping somewhere around her, Neil freezing up from the action. Bit what she didn't expect was for her mother to suddenly be thrown away from the table and hit her back on the wall.

Karen rushed to Susan's side, while Joyce held Max close.

"Are you alright?"

But Max wasn't listening to her, she was looking down on the floor and before Joyce could ask further, Max was already pushing past her and rushing to the door.

***

Max didn't know how she ended up in here. But it was the onlt place she knew no one would walk to. She was sitting, her hands wrapped around her knees as she watched the darkness around her and the waves lapping the rocks beneath her.

The Quarry had been a forbidden place to go to according to the Party. It was one of the rules that Mike had pushed through and verified. It reminded him too much of Will and the upside-down and nobody disagreed, mostly because of how scary Mike was when he said it.

But Max knew it was the only way to get some peace and quiet.

She knew she had been keeping it under the wraps for so long. It was all thanks to Robin's daily dose of reality.

_"So, when are you planning to tell her, Mad Max?"_

_Nancy asked, tilting her head to the side to El's direction as the said girl picked out movies. Max knew El would most likely pick out the Mad Max movie for she always says it's as cool as Max is and she insists on seeing a movie that she is already familiar off._

_"Tell her what?"_

_Max replied to Nancy, rolling her eyes to show that she doesn't care._

_"Tell her that you like her."_

_"I don't like her. I mean, not in that way."_

_"Really?"_

_Robin said behind her, eyebrows raised as she took out the lists of rented DVDs._

_"What?"_

_Max asked, sensing the tone om Robin's._

_"She likes you too, you know."_

_"I have a soulmate."_

_"And?"_

_Max sighed as she handed Robin a payment as El waved three boxes of DVD._

_"I don't wanna lose her as a friend."_

_Robin just shook her head, making an ethereal smile that she does when she's about to say something that only she knows and Max felt bothered by it._

_"If it felt right, then learn to fight."_

_"What?"_

_Robin grabbed Nancy's hand and handed her a change._

_"If it feels right, then what would you be afraid of?"_

_Max looked at Robin's manicured finger point at her chest, at her heart and nodded to El._

_"What do you feel about her?"_

And Max knew the answer was simple.

"I feel right around her."

"Max!"

Max turned to her right, knowing who's voice it is. She doesn't really have the energy to think yet, that is, until she saw the same black dress with swirls.

"El."

She whispered, standing up slowly but freezing as El focused her sight on her.

"Don't move. We have to talk."

"El, what the hell?"

Max felt her body going rigid. It was as if there was a force around her, grounding her as El took her arms. Max looked at her, and gasped when she saw El smiling as she wiped blood on her nose.

"Po-powers."

She stuttered, pointing at El who smiled.

"I snapped when she slapped you. I didn't like it and then, I just... I just felt it."

"Your powers are back."

Max repeated, her eyes widened as she took in a realization. It was because of her, _she_ was the reason why El's powers came back. It was her.

"You made my powers come back."

El said, before looking at the ground nervously.

"Max... Max, I want to tell you something."

"El, you don't have to, I..."

"No, I need to. I had been asking Robin how to tell you, I give you flowers you don't like them, and I give you eggos and you don't like them. And, and Mike told me to tell you, cause, cause that's the way you are... And-"

El began to blush as she ranted, but Max couldn't cut her off. So that's what the flowers meant? And the eggos? She had been reading it _right_ all along?!

"And, I might not be as good as you, but I want you to know that I like you. Like a lot. Like the way Lucas likes Dustin and Mike likes Will. I don't know if we're soulmates and I... I really don't care. I will ignore my mark and just be with you, cause.. cause you make, you make feel..."

El sighed in frustration, not knowing the word. But Max already does, it had been the word that she was feeling, the word to sum how she should feel with her soulmate.

"You make me feel right, El."

Max confessed, her voice cracked as she said her name. And El nodded, assessing her words as she held her hand.

"Right. Yeah, you make me feel, right, Max."

Max didn't know what prompted her to do so, but all she knows was she leaned into El, and before she knew it, she was kissing her.

El closed her eyes, feeling herself melt into the kiss. It was different from how Mike kissed her, it wasn't as forced as she tried. It was as if Max's lips were made for hers the way a soulmark was. And aa she closed her eyes, she saw a speck of dust around them, their own soulmarks glowing.

Max pulled away, a kittle breathless, reeling at how magical the kiss felt. Her eyes widened as she stared at El's neck who was staring back at her with the same expression. Max watched the gold speck form a small ribbon, and tied around her finger. A tattoo of a ring appeared on her ring finger, with the shape of an octopus.

Looking down, Max gasped as she saw the same flower mark on El's.

"You-"

For the first time, Max was lost for words. She didn't know when she started crying but all she knows was she was hugging and kissing the most important person that ever happened in her life.

_Jane "Eleven" Hopper is her flower._

Max heard El muttered small words as she hugged her back.

_"I can't wait to fall for you more."_

_*********_


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I just make an aftermath of all of it? Yes. Cause El and Max deserves to have domesticated scenes and they all need nostlagic moments and Will has to have scene of playing D&D.

_September 11, 19_ _90._

"Come on, you lazypoke, get up!"

"I don't get why the hell are you so excited, El. It's school. Nobody's supposed to be excited for it. Plus, it's the first day."

"You're strangely talkative, Maxine."

El giggled, feeling the glare bore into her neck as Max mumbled something close to _"don't call me that, Jane."_

"Just sit up, we gotta go."

"Where's Steve?"

Maxine asked, as El heard her footfalls on the hallway. It was a fairly large house for them to stay in New York.

"He already went to the photoshoot with Robin and Nancy, Jonathan was hurrying them up."

El explained, running up to her girlfriend to the kitchen who already brought out the cereal.

"Nope, not healthy."

"Says the girl who loved Eggos, and ate them for breakfast, lunch and dinner, for like three years."

"That was because you were stuck with your parents. And Robin took me. It's called protesting so that you'll come back."

Max just shook her head at the taller girl, her eyes holding the same look of amuse and fondness at her as she did five years ago.

"Okay, you win. What do you propose?"

El's eyes twinkled, her curly hair bouncing as she reached up and grabbed pieces of waffle mix, eggs, and a chocolate.

"Seriously?"

"You said the words, and I craved it."

Max laughed, her rainbow sweatshirt shaking as she leaned into the counter.

" _Nope, not healthy_."

She mimicked El, and a gust of wind swept past her and a sound of crack, the stove being used and the waffle mix disappeared in the hands of smiling El.

"Too late."

Max mentally thanked gods for El's powers and her ability to cook, Eggos, at least.

"Take a shower, you smell awful."

El spoke, as she moved her finger to throw the packets away. Max lifted her clothes up as she sniffed, sticking her tongue out at El as she walked away.

"You just want to get me out of this cause I wore it better!"

El only giggled, slightly shaking the pan as she muttered.

_"That's why you're changing."_

***

"Dustin, have you seen my blue shirt? The turtleneck one?"

Dustin only looked up from the newspaper he was reading. It was the launching of the Hubble space telescope thingy and the launching of the World Wide Web. Dustin was eager to take part of it and planning to apply in electronics in college. 

"Dustin! Where's my blue turtleneck?!"

"You look ugly as hell in that, Lukey, why?"

"Don't call me that. And I look great in it. Plus, it's the first day!"

Lucas's voice neared as he walked closer to Dustin who sighed, taking in his partner's look. Lucas had his hair down in small curls, his slim fit body naked upper body came into view, paired with dark pants and he was still barefoot.

It took a minute or so of Dustin ogling at his soulmate's body before he can answer.

"Yeah, that's why I'm saving you from embarrassment."

Lucas pouted at the statement, ruining the bad boy™ air he was holding a while ago.

"Aw come on, you said you liked it."

Dustin gave him a deadpanned look, shoulders slumped and his denim jacket slipping off slightly. His hair had grown over the years, with his face maturing more. Although, there are still times that Lucas sees him smile and it reminds him of how Dustin looked five years ago. 

"I liked it, cause you looked happy wearing it. But not again. That was one time and that was also a year ago."

Dustin folded the newspaper and stood up while Lucas rolled his eyes, and tapped his boyfriend's behind. Dustin let out a squawk, hitting him with the newspaper.

"YOU FUCKING PERVERT!"

Lucas only laughed, his chest 

"Well, since I'm not seeing my turtleneck and you look _good_ in that... I figured I might have to compromise."

"No, we're gonna be late, Lu-"

Before Dustin can say more, Lucas had already pulled him up, passing the living room where Dustin's eyes widened upon seeing a familiar blue shirt.

"I promised Will that we're gonna meet them up! Lucas, Oi! Are you listening to me, _LUCAS_!"

***

"I don't get it."

Mike stared at the mirror begrudgingly and to the bed that was filled with colorful sweater to match the white pants that Will chose to wear with the black converse. He didn't understand why Will needed a pair of sweater with different colors when it's the _same_ _sweater._

"What's not to get? Purple doesn't look as good as pink with white."

Will spoke sassily, making his way past his boyfriend and stopping to shout at him.

"Mike! I told you to wash your hands!"

"I did!"

"Did you?"

Will said, giving Mike a defeated look while bringing up his fingers with the same lists.

"I'll take it off later, I don't wanna forget it."

"That's what I'm here for, I've memorized it, take it off. You have terrible handwriting, Mister."

Will said, smiling a little as he looked back at the mirror to see from Mike's reflection that placed a hand over his heart in attempt to say, _you-wounded-me_ look.

"Ouch, I'm your soulmate, you know?"

"I know that, and as much as I love you, I don't wanna be seen around with the lists of food that my boyfriend wanna eat later."

Mike frowned, taking in Will's look. His hair gelled up messily, his face being framed, revealing the sharp features and the small grin on his face. He was wearing a pink shirt paired with bangles and friendship bracelets made for him by El. A small ear piercing on his left reflected Mike's own piercing on his right ear, a sign that they belong together. 

"If you want you can write anything on your hand. I won't complain."

Mike spoke, knowing he's gonna regret it but he didn't wanna forget it, it's so awkward to speak in the register when you have a lot you want to order.

"Anything?"

"Anything."

Mike felt a tingle on his arm, and risked a look. It was a doodle of boy, a wizard, rather, wrapped in violet color with star like shapes and waving a staff, with the words: _I love you._

Mike just smiled, grabbing his back pack and laptop, and sliding his hand on his boyfriend's, pulling him with him out of the house.

***

Steve watched his boyfriend with extreme interest he adjusted the lenses. Photography wasn't his suit, nor does he like getting photographed on. But there's something incredibly breathtaking in seeing Jonathan smile whenever he took a "perfect" picture. And there is something that stirs in Steve's stomach when that perfect picture turns out to be him.

"You seem to be seeing wonders."

Jonathan's voice cut his reverie, as he looked at him. His soulmate was holding on to a camera, shaking off the picture to get the image as he looked around.

Nancy and Robin both agreed into taking part of a movement that their club proposed.

**_The Look Of Love._ **

It was a gay-rights movement by them, with other kids of Hawkins agreeing. Steve remembered Jonathan planning on releasing the portfolio when the others are okay with their schools, that way, their homophobic parents won't come after them. 

It took a while before Steve managed to fight for El's custody, but after proving that The Mayfield's don't have enough experience with telekinesis and El threatening them all and saying she wanna be with Steve and Jonathan, the judge agreed.

And after that, it was a long distance relationship for her and Max. Steve had seem how strong their connection after all. El always had been talking to Max over the supercom and Max would meet him up in the Scoops Ahoy to talk about how El is. After a while, when Max is about to go to college and preparing for it, her parents had accepted the fact that she was gay and there's nothing they can do.

Nancy and Robin were more helpful with the changes with El, explaining the blood that Steve _~~fainted~~_ freaked out over. Max was the best girlfriend and Steve was thankful for her. She immediately knew what was happening and cuddled with her, watched movies and made her go to sleep cause apparently, having powers and being on period can lead to an almost destruction of the house. If it wasn't for Will's saved up money from hus art career, Steve wouldn't be able to sleep with their house not having a door.

And _speaking_ of _destructions_ , he remembered how Dustin and Lucas would fight over the smallest things and think that going into Steve's house would be the greatest thing to do. Dustin would rant to him while Lucas would have a man to man talk to Jonathan. Steve always listens, knowing that he also rants to Dustin about Jonathan while Jonathan just talks to Lucas while they're mad with one another.

There was one incident however, that caused the house to be flooded. And the reason? Will wanted to swim, but the ocean's far away so Dustin decided it would be nice to clog the bathroom and create a flood. To say Steve was pissed is an understatement, after grounding the kids and dealing with the angry overprotective boyfriends, Steve finally thought he could get some sleep.

But he knew he shouldn't have underestimated them. Will and Dustin both made loud noises upstairs that Steve was forced to let them go and have their dates.

All in all, Steve thought that these five years were the most peaceful ones. They have moved away from Hawkins and went to New York, to start a new life and continue with their movement, where people are more accepting of Homosexuality.

"What's got your hair up in the clouds, Harrington?"

Steve swatted Jonathan's hand away as he pouted. Nancy and Robin were both readying their poses, having the glowsticks with them and the flower crowns. Their clothes were in a bohemian style, braids flowy and relaxed while their makeups were plain and elegant.

"Thinking how much had changed."

Steve replied after a while of staring at the two girlfriends. Steve tugged the sleeves of his denim jacket, smiling as he felt the need to be nostalgic again.

He really can't believe how happy he is right now.

"There's that look again."

Jonathan said, flicking Steve's forehead this time. 

"Ow, I'm your boyfriend, you know."

"Yeah, and that's old news."

Steve glared at him, and Jonathan took out his camera and took a picture.

"Hey!"

Steve caught a glimpse of the picture, seeing his face messed into a grimace, eyes half-lidded, and a bit blurry.

"Delete that!"

"Nope!"

Jonathan said back, tapping Robin on the shoulder and pointing to a far away place as he fast walked away from Steve.

"BYERS!"

***

"We don't have to do this."

Will said meekly, staring into the ground as Mike got out a familiar table-top game.

"I'm feeling nostalgic as hell, let's do it."

Max confidently said, with El nodding slightly as she cuddled closer to her. El had wore a large baggy robe, with the color of brown cause she's a "Gryffindor", Max had given up explaining that Harry Potter was a wizard and let her girlfriend just be happy. Max wore a similar green robe and curled her wavy hair more to achieve the look of a zoomer. Although, she did promise El she wouldn't wear the tank top cause it reveals "something" in Max's body and El hates other people looking at it.

Lucas had gone with his ranger the same way he did back then, a large bow around his body, his hair in braids by the sides and the same black robe around him for mysteriousness. Dustin had held the paper mache axe he made with Mike and his face with fake moustache. He was wearing a silve chain shirt with pants and on hjs other hand was a shield. They were both grinning proudly as they stood, with Dustin wincing from time to time, as he moved.

"What the hell happened to you dude?"

Mike asked after a while, sensing Dustin squirming in his seat and standing up again.

"Nothing."

Dustin replied, blushing as he glared at Lucas. Will caught the gesture and giggled, sitting down.

His violet wizard clothing with the same silvery shine. He was shocked that it still fitted, and looked around the seams, seeing newly added fabric. He looked at Mike, knowing that he left it at their basement.

"I had help from Nancy and Robin. What do you think?"

Mike said, holding out Will's staff as he sat down with the red robe and a paper mache sword on his hands. In his other hand, Mike held the dices for each character and the icosahedron on the other. Mike smiled and began,

"The heroes are on their quest to find the Gunslinger."

***

Jonathan stumbled with Steve into the house. He shouldn't have underestimated what Robin meant with carrying dinner. He knows he had planned for the Party to be in their house and tell about their first days, but the food he was carrying is enough to feed the town!

"You're the worsr soulmate ever."

Steve sassily said, rolling his eyes as he fell into the floor. If the Party was around, they would have hurried to check up on the noise. But they aren't.

Or are they?

Jonathan wasn't surprised to hear the familiar song of the Clash and the kids screaming about saving the people and those beakers.

Jonathan dropped the groceries on Steve and ran to the stairs with the camera around his neck. Panting as he looked around, he was surprised to see Will laughing hysterically as Mike wrapped his arm around his shoulder. 

El and Max are both in the ground, with El in between Max's legs as she played with El's small braids. Lucas was being hugged by Dustin who was lying on his stomach on the bed, grinning. 

Jonathan looked down and it all came to him. The costumes, the song, and the table top game. He smiled, taking his camera and took a picture.

And it was the best one he had ever taken.

*******

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of it! If you guys enjoyed this story, you may leave kudos, I really appreciate it and comments if you want. And if you also enjoyed this, I am currently writing a fanfic series of Stranger Things, IT, Gravity Falls, and I'm Not Okay With This crossover.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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